A top corporate and financial crime lawyer visited Peter Mandelson’s house in London today amid a police probe into allegations of misconduct in a public office.
Adrian Darbishire KC arrived at the former cabinet minister’s property near Regent’s Park shortly before 12pm wearing a navy blue jacket and jeans.
He left the house around 90 minutes later but declined to comment on whether or not he is representing Mandelson.
Mr Darbishire was previously seen at the peer’s house on Friday, and was inside when police officers were searching the property throughout the afternoon and evening.
He is described as ‘a superb tactician and a powerfully persuasive advocate’ on the website of QEB Hollis Whiteman’s, where he is listed as joint head of chambers.
Meanwhile Sir Keir Starmer, who is embroiled in a growing scandal over his decision to appoint Lord Mandelson as US ambassador, broke his cover this afternoon.
The Prime Minister was seen alongside his son at the Emirates Stadium in north London as they watched Arsenal play Sunderland in the Premier League.
Labour MPs are in open revolt after Sir Keir finally admitted to the Commons on Wednesday he had agreed to Mandelson’s appointment despite knowing about his post-prison ties to Epstein.
Lawyer Adrian Darbishire is seen leaving the London residence of Lord Peter Mandelson today
Sir Keir Starmer, who is embroiled in a growing scandal over his decision to appoint of Lord Mandelson as US ambassador, broke his cover this afternoon
An image released in the Epstein files shows Peter Mandelson standing in white underwear while talking to a woman in a bath robe
The Metropolitan Police is probing accusations Mandelson sent market-sensitive information to Epstein while he was business secretary during the financial crisis.
Yesterday, officers raided both his £12million London house and rented farmhouse in Wiltshire. Officers were seen fetching folded carboard boxes and bags from their cars to collect evidence.
The ex-Labour grandee was not arrested but he may face questions from detectives in the coming weeks.
Those convicted of misconduct in public office face a maximum sentence of life imprisonment.
Former prime minister Gordon Brown said in comments on Saturday Mandelson’s secret email contacts with Epstein could constitute a ‘crime’.
He told the BBC’s Today programme he felt ‘shocked, sad, angry betrayed, let down’ when he saw the messages released by the US Department of Justice.
He said: ‘This was financially secret information, it meant Britain was at risk because of that, the currency was at risk, some of the trading that would happen would be speculative as a result of that and there’s no doubt that huge commercial damage could have been done and perhaps was done.’
Mr Darbishire left the house around 90 minutes later but declined to comment on whether or not he is representing Mandelson
The Prime Minister was seen alongside his son at the Emirates Stadium as they watched Arsenal play Sunderland in the Premier League
Police probing allegations of misconduct in public office raided Mandelson’s £12million London house and rented farmhouse in Wiltshire
Pictured: The pair in 2008, after Mandelson became Business Secretary
Mr Brown also demanded immediate ‘constitutional reform’ to clean up corruption in politics and the House of Lords and ‘let in the light and send the princes of darkness on their way’.
His intervention came as The Met said its investigation into Lord Mandelson will be ‘complex’ and require ‘a significant amount of further evidence gathering and analysis’.
In an update this morning, deputy assistant commissioner Hayley Sewart also confirmed the searches of his homes in Wiltshire and London had concluded.
Meanwhile, senior Government figures are preparing to hand over messages linked to his appointment as Britain’s ambassador to the US last year.
Sir Keir Starmer warned on Friday evening a ‘very significant volume of material’ would likely need reviewing as part of the process, which is being overseen by Parliament’s security watchdog following a Government climbdown.
Following a Commons motion, Downing Street agreed to the disclosure of a broader remit of documents, including messages between ministers and senior officials that have the potential to prove embarrassing for the Government.
Control over which files can be released into the public domain has been ceded to Parliament’s Intelligence and Security Committee (ISC) after a Labour backlash to No 10’s initial attempt to add possible exemptions to protect international relations.
Recently-released photographs in the Epstein files show the paedophile billionaire with Peter Mandelson on a yacht. The date and location were not provided
Pictured: Officers at Mandelson’s Wiltshire home
Lord Mandelson has not explained why he posed in his briefs in images contained in the Epstein Files
The number of emails, messages and documents potentially within scope runs into the high tens of thousands, it is understood, and publication could take some time as the ISC must still assess any items the Government wants withheld for national security reasons.
Sir Keir believes the files will prove Lord Mandelson lied during his vetting but Scotland Yard has also asked for some documents to be withheld, saying it could jeopardise the criminal probe.
In a letter to ISC chairman Lord Beamish on Friday, the Prime Minister insisted the Government wanted to ‘engage constructively with the ISC, and to ensure that Parliament’s instruction is met with the urgency and transparency it deserves.’
This week there were staggering revelations that he was giving Epstein Whitehall documents.
Emails from 2009 suggest Mandelson passed on a Downing Street assessment of potential policy measures including an ‘asset sales plan’, and he also appeared to discuss a tax on bankers’ bonuses and confirm an imminent bailout package for the euro the day before it was announced in 2010.
After these emails came to light – along with photos of Mandelson in his underpants – he quit the Labour Party and stepped down as a Lord, hours before he was pushed out.
He has previously expressed his regret at having met Epstein. He did not publicly comment yesterday, but the BBC reported that he maintains he did not act criminally and that his actions were not for personal gain.
Epstein, who courted the world’s elite, was found dead in his New York jail cell in 2019 while awaiting trial for masterminding a global child sex abuse network.
His madam, the British socialite Ghislaine Maxwell, is in jail for helping him recruit schoolgirl victims to molest.
A spokesperson for the Mandelson said: ‘Lord Mandelson regrets, and will regret until to his dying day, that he believed Epstein’s lies about his criminality.
‘Lord Mandelson did not discover the truth about Epstein until after his death in 2019.
‘He is profoundly sorry that powerless and vulnerable women and girls were not given the protection they deserved.’