Peter Mandelson latest: Ex-Labour peer denies ‘baseless’ claim he was set to flee to British Virgin Islands before arrest

Political correspondent Millie Cooke reports:

Ed Miliband has denied that AI will put the UK’s climate ambitions at risk but said decisions on AI should be made with a broader eye on “tackling the climate crisis”.

Asked whether that would be the case, the energy minister told Sky News: “No, but the decisions we make on AI data centers and similar issues are based on an overall approach to energy security and tackling the climate crisis, and it is very important that they are within that framework.”

Political correspondent Millie Cooke reports:

The energy minister claimed the drop in the energy price cap was a result of “the steps we have taken in the budget”, but acknowledged that the government knew “there is still some way to go”.

Ofgem said the price most households pay for energy will fall by 7 per cent from April 1 as the government promises to cut the average bill by £150.

The regulator’s price cap will drop from the current £1,758 to £1,641; This represents a reduction of around £10 per month for the average household using both electricity and gas.

Ed Miliband added: “Over the year the price cap in 2025 was lower in real terms than it was in 2024. We want to take this further down, so it is up to £300 lower.”

Sir Keir Starmer will face questions from MPs in the House of Commons for the first time since Lord Peter Mandelson’s arrest.

The former Labor secretary was arrested on Monday on suspicion of abuse of public office and later released on bail following accusations that she passed sensitive information to pedophile financier Jeffrey Epstein.

Prime Minister is under increasing scrutiny over his decision to appoint Lord Mandelson as Britain’s ambassador to Washington

The Lord Advocate said Lord Forsyth of Drumlean had received no information about Lord Mandelson’s movements.

Lord Mandelson’s lawyer claimed his arrest stemmed from “unfounded” allegations that he planned to leave the country.

In a statement, a spokesman for the Lord Advocate said: “Any allegation that the Lord Advocate received information about Lord Mandelson’s movements or passed such information to the Metropolitan Police Service is completely false and unfounded.”

Lord Peter Mandelson’s arrest for abuse of public office stemmed from “unfounded” claims he planned to leave the country, his lawyers said.

The former cabinet minister was arrested on Monday and later released on bail.

Law firm Mishcon de Reya said in a statement on Tuesday evening: “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 a false allegation that he was planning to leave the country and take up permanent residence abroad.

“There is absolutely no truth to such an allegation. We have asked the MPS for the evidence relied upon to justify the arrest. Peter Mandelson’s immediate priority is to co-operate with the police investigation and clear his name, as he has done throughout this process.”

In comments reported by other media outlets, Lord Mandelson is said to have told friends that he had agreed to appear for a voluntary interview with police but was later arrested because police suspected he might flee.

On the News Agencies podcast, Emily Maitlis read details of a message she said was sent from Lord Mandelson to a journalist friend.

In it, he said, “The police arrested me because the Lord Speaker claimed to have received information that I was about to flee to the British Virgin Islands”, describing it as “pure fiction”.

The Lord Advocate, Lord Forsyth of Drumlean, said the accusation was “completely false”.

A spokesman for the Lord Speaker said: “Any suggestion that the Lord Speaker received information about Lord Mandelson’s movements or passed any such information to the Metropolitan Police Service is completely false and unfounded.”