Scotland Yard received new intelligence that the disgraced former minister presented a 'flight risk' and a decision was taken at a senior level to arrest him as soon as possible.

UK House of Commons speaker Lindsay Hoyle has said he passed information about Peter Mandelson to the Metropolitan Police "in good faith, as is my duty and responsibility".

Lindsay Hoyle told MPs he passed on the information to Scotland Yard that led to Lord Mandelson being dramatically arrested at his home on Monday afternoon.

It comes after lawyers for the Labour peer complained about the force's decision to arrest him on Monday.

Mandelson’s lawyers said the report to the Met that he was planning to leave the country was ‘baseless’.

Lord Mandelson has launched a furious attack on Scotland Yard for swooping on his home to detain him on Monday afternoon.