Former UK Under-Secretary for Defense Ivor Caplin was detained on suspicion of sexual offenses against minors, the Sun newspaper reported.
It is noted that a video was circulated online of a man who identifies himself as Caplin being handcuffed on the street.
According to the newspaper, Caplin's membership in the ruling Labor Party was suspended several months ago due to unspecified "serious charges" that he denies.
Police confirmed to the newspaper the detention of the 66-year-old man on January 11 and said they had launched an investigation.
Meanwhile, US billionaire Elon Musk linked the situation to Labor's vote this week against a new national investigation into mass child rape by grooming gangs.
"Now we know why Labor voted against an inquiry: they are guilty," Musk said on X.
Last Thursday, The Telegraph reported that at least 1,000 girls had been raped by gangs of Asian men in the town of Telford, Shropshire, with the police allegedly choosing not to investigate the cases in order to avoid provoking racial tensions. Similar crimes were revealed in other parts of the UK. This week, the House of Commons voted 364-111 to reject the initiative on the new inquiry into child sexual abuse across the country.
Musk has accused UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer of being complicit in the grooming gangs scandal in the UK, pointing out that Starmer was the head of the Crown Prosecution Service from 2008-2013, when gang rapes were happening. Health Secretary Wes Streeting argued that the government took the issue of child sexual exploitation incredibly seriously and suggested that Musk "roll up his sleeves and work with us" to deal with rape gangs.