Which specific UK officials have been reported to police after the Epstein files release?
Executive summary
The principal UK official explicitly reported to and now under formal criminal investigation by police after the US Department of Justice release of Epstein-related files is former cabinet minister and peer Peter Mandelson, with multiple political actors and government bodies either referring material or lodging reports about him [1] allegations-police-bd7d7f9831ad1eeaee4e5c7a951f2aeb" target="blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">[2] [3]. Metropolitan Police sources say they have received “a number” of reports into alleged misconduct in public office following the files’ publication, including a referral from the UK government, but they have not published a comprehensive list of every individual named in those reports [4] [5].
1. Peter Mandelson — the named subject of police review and formal probe
Reporting across the BBC, Reuters, AP and other outlets identifies Peter Mandelson as the specific senior UK figure whose apparent correspondence with Jeffrey Epstein has prompted police action: the Metropolitan Police reviewed reports and then launched a criminal investigation into alleged misconduct in public office in relation to Mandelson after material in the DOJ release suggested he shared market‑sensitive information with Epstein while serving as business secretary [3] [1] [2] [6].
2. Who reported or referred Mandelson to police — political parties, a former prime minister and the government
Multiple sources state that the Scottish National Party and Reform UK publicly said they had reported Lord Mandelson to the Metropolitan Police or Scotland Yard, former prime minister Gordon Brown said he had written to the Met with “relevant” information, and Whitehall ministers and the Cabinet Office assessed documents and formally referred material to the police after finding what they judged to be potentially market‑sensitive material [3] [7] [4] [8].
3. What the police publicly say they received and decided
Metropolitan Police Commander Ella Marriott told reporters the force “received a number of reports” relating to alleged misconduct in public office following the DOJ document release and subsequent media reporting, and that those reports — including a government referral — were reviewed to determine whether they met the threshold for a criminal investigation, which detectives have since said they do in at least Mandelson’s case [4] [5] [2].
4. Other UK names and referrals mentioned in coverage — limited or conditional reporting
Coverage also notes other strands of inquiry and claims in the wake of the files: for example, reporting flags renewed scrutiny of claims about Prince Andrew (referred to as Mountbatten‑Windsor in some dispatches) with Thames Valley Police said to be “looking at” an allegation because of geographic jurisdiction, though outlets quote police saying that, at that time, the allegation had not been reported to Thames Valley by either the lawyer or the client named in media stories [8]. That reporting underscores that, beyond Mandelson, journalists and officials have signalled potential leads or referrals but have not presented a single, published roster of named officials formally reported to police [8].
5. Political fallout, government action and reporting caveats
The government’s own internal review and subsequent decision to pass material to the Met — and to release relevant files while excluding items that might prejudice security or ongoing inquiries — has produced both political pressure (calls for peerage removal and a cabinet‑level review) and careful caveats from police and ministers; outlets emphasise that a number of reports were received and that an initial review did not mean all reports would become criminal investigations, while some media accounts note Mandelson’s resignation from the Lords as the probe developed [8] [9] [1] [6]. Public reporting to date names Mandelson as the specific UK official subject to the Met’s formal criminal investigation and documents the reporters and bodies that referred or reported him, but it does not provide a definitive public list of every person who may have been the subject of reports to police following the DOJ release [4] [5].