Is the Prince of Darkness up to his old spin tricks? Tantalising question is raised as police probe descends into farce as officers reveal Commons Speaker was source of tip-off that Mandelson planned to flee the UK

Scotland Yard issued an extraordinary apology to the Speaker of the House of Commons on Wednesday following the row over the arrest of Peter Mandelson.

Detectives told lawyers on Mandelson’s behalf that Sir Lindsay Hoyle had warned them about allegations his colleague was planning to flee the country.

Officers from the Met swooped in on Monday evening, hours after Sir Lindsay reported ‘in good faith’ his suggestion that the former Labor spin doctor might flee to the British Virgin Islands after a mysterious wealthy supporter offered asylum.

Mandelson’s lawyers responded with an extraordinary public statement demanding “evidence” of the “unfounded suggestion” that led to Mandelson’s arrest, after the irate colleague told friends he was the victim of a “total fiction.”

In remarkable scenes on Wednesday, Sir Lindsay confirmed he was the source of the information after the Lords Speaker Michael Forsyth’s name was incorrectly discussed.

The Speaker told MPs at the start of the House of Commons day: ‘Members will be aware of comments in the media about Lord Mandelson’s arrest.

‘To avoid any false speculation, I would like to confirm that, having received what I considered to be relevant information, I passed it on to the Met Police in good faith in accordance with my duty and responsibility.’

He added: ‘It’s sad that this has quickly become a part of the media.’ He also warned MPs not to comment further on the ‘live investigation’.

In farcical scenes, officers were later forced to apologize on Wednesday for revealing his name to Mandelson, who was arrested on suspicion of misconduct in public office after being accused of leaking Government secrets to pedophile financier Jeffrey Epstein while he was business secretary.

Peter Mandelson (pictured) was arrested on Monday evening following a tip-off branded by Sir Hoyle’s lawyers as a ‘baseless suggestion’. Mandelson was later released

On Wednesday night, legal experts warned that continued public outrage could overshadow any investigation into the former Cabinet minister.

The public comment about police tactics in a live case has worried some experts, who believe Mandelson’s lawyers may be considering an argument that he could not get a fair trial.

The disgraced former Labor ambassador, who has denied any wrongdoing, is understood to have surrendered his passport and been released on bail.

Sir Lindsay was said to be furious about his involvement being revealed on Wednesday, but officers later accepted it was a serious breach of protocol.

He warned police at a meeting with Cabinet Office officials on Monday that he had been told Mandelson had been offered permanent residence in a British overseas territory by a wealthy sympathiser.

It was claimed that the information was transferred from a person in an authorized position abroad.

The Speaker of the House of Commons visited the Caribbean region last week after being invited to celebrate the parliament’s 75th anniversary. He met with the governor and the prime minister before speaking in parliament.

Sources said officers had put the information on their ‘radar’ but had no knowledge of the veracity of the report. Believing he might be in imminent danger of flight, police moved to arrest Mandelson at his home in Regent’s Park at 4.15pm.

But Mandelson’s lawyers, Mishcon de Reya, issued a statement accusing the police of deceiving them with a ‘baseless suggestion’.

A spokesman for the law firm said on Tuesday: ‘Peter Mandelson was arrested yesterday despite an agreement with police that he would voluntarily attend an interview next month.

‘The arrest was made due to an unfounded allegation that he was planning to leave the country and take up permanent residence abroad.

‘There is absolutely no truth to such a suggestion. We asked the Metropolitan Police Service about the evidence relied on to justify the arrest.

‘Peter Mandelson’s top priority is to cooperate with the police investigation, as he has throughout this process, and to clear his name.’

Mandelson is said to have told friends: ‘Despite an earlier agreement between the police and the legal team for a voluntary meeting in early March, the police arrested me because they claimed I was fleeing to the British Virgin Islands and was about to take up permanent residence abroad. [his husband] Reinaldo, my family, my home and [his dog] Jock is behind me. ‘I don’t need to tell you that this is pure fiction.’

On Wednesday Marcus Johnstone, managing director of PCD Solicitors, suggested the comments were part of a wider legal strategy. ‘Making this statement public yesterday is in some ways a mockery of the rules.’ [about prejudice]’ he said.

‘His lawyers could have made this comment privately but what actually happened was they made the public aware of the injustice.

‘His lawyers will examine the allegations before the charge, possibly considering the argument that he should not be charged because he was treated unfairly.

‘Of course if I were his lawyer I would try to stop any investigation. His lawyers will examine every issue as to whether he can receive a fair trial.

‘I think they made a conscious decision to say we think there’s an injustice, why don’t we put it out to the press? Try to get the public on his side that he’s a scapegoat.’

The government has committed to releasing documents related to Mandelson’s controversial appointment as US ambassador in late 2024.

He was sacked in September last year after details emerged about the extent and duration of his contacts with Epstein.

Mandelson was Gordon Brown’s business secretary from 2008 to 2011.

On Wednesday night a Metropolitan Police spokesman said: ‘The Met apologized to the Speaker of the House of Commons this afternoon for inadvertently disclosing information during an investigation into allegations of misconduct in public office.’