Mandelson's lawyers claim he was arrested over fears he was a flight risk

Lord Mandelson's lawyers have said police officers arrested the former ambassador to the US at his London home on Monday afternoon because they worried he was a flight risk.

The peer's lawyers have told the BBC there is "absolutely no truth" in the suggestion that Lord Mandelson was planning to leave the UK and move abroad.

The Met has said it will not comment.

The former Labour minister was arrested by the Metropolitan Police on suspicion of misconduct in public office on Monday and later released on bail, pending further investigation.

A spokesperson for Mishcon De Reya, Lord Mandelson's lawyers, said: "Peter Mandelson was arrested yesterday despite an agreement with the police that he would attend an interview next month on a voluntary basis.

"The arrest was prompted by a baseless suggestion that he was planning to leave the country and take up permanent residence abroad. There is absolutely no truth whatsoever in any such suggestion.

"We have asked the MPS [Metropolitan Police Service] for the evidence relied upon to justify the arrest.

"Peter Mandelson's overriding priority is to cooperate with the police investigation, as he has done throughout this process, and to clear his name."

Lord Mandelson was arrested on Monday afternoon and taken to Wandsworth police station in London for interview.

He was at the police station for nine hours before being released on bail in the early hours of Tuesday morning.

The force launched an investigation earlier this month over allegations that, while he was serving as a minister, Lord Mandelson had passed on market-sensitive government information to the late convicted paedophile Jeffrey Epstein.

The arrest on Monday followed search warrants at two addresses in Wiltshire and Camden.

Lord Mandelson has not publicly commented in recent weeks on the Epstein files, but the BBC understands his position is he has not acted in any way criminally and that he was not motivated by financial gain.

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