According to his legal team, Peter Mandelson was arrested at his Regent’s Park home because of concerns he posed a potential flight risk.
The former cabinet minister and counterpart was arrested on Monday afternoon on suspicion of misconduct in public office following allegations that confidential government documents were leaked while serving as business secretary under Gordon Brown.
Police questioned Mandelson for several hours before releasing him on bail in the early hours of Tuesday morning. As part of his bail conditions, he had to surrender his passport.
His lawyers said officers had previously agreed to question him on a voluntary basis next month but then decided to arrest him after making a “baseless suggestion” that he planned to move abroad.
In a statement, a spokesman for Mandelson said: “There is absolutely no truth to the claim that he intended to leave the country permanently. His top priority is to cooperate fully with the police investigation and to clear his name.”
Sources said investigators from the Metropolitan Police Service acted after receiving new information over the weekend. Earlier this month, officers from the police’s Central Specialist Crime Team executed search warrants at two properties linked to Mandelson, seizing computers and documents for investigation.
A source familiar with the investigation said the decision to arrest was made for “clear operational reasons” after new intelligence came to light.
Mandelson has not been charged and denies any wrongdoing. The investigation is still ongoing.
