The Metropolitan Police arrested Peter Mandelson because they had been told he was preparing to leave the UK for the British Virgin Islands, Sky News understands. It is understood that Scotland Yard originally planned to interview the former Labour peer under caution in a fortnight's time, and were not planning to arrest him at that time. His lawyer issued a statement saying the claims were "baseless". The former peer was arrested on Monday on suspicion of misconduct in public office and released on bail. He has previously denied all wrongdoing. Live updates: https://news.sky.com/story/politics-latest-starmer-labour-farage-chagos-cabinet-secretary-12593360 SUBSCRIBE to our YouTube channel for more videos: http://www.youtube.com/skynews Follow us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/skynews Like us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/skynews Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/skynews Follow us on TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@skynews For more content go to http://news.sky.com and download our apps: Apple https://itunes.apple.com/gb/app/sky-news/id316391924?mt=8 Android https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.bskyb.skynews.android&hl=en_GB Sky News Daily podcast is available for free here: https://podfollow.com/skynewsdaily/ To enquire about licensing Sky News content, you can find more information here: https://news.sky.com/info/library-sales