The Huffington Post
Peter Mandelson is seen outside his home in London, Monday, April 20, 2026 The government has released the highly-anticipated second tranche of internal files on Peter Mandelson and his brief appointment as ambassador to the US. The ex- Labour peer fell from grace last September after the depth of his friendship with convicted paedophile Jeffrey Epstein was revealed. But questions remain around why he was appointed in the first place and what kind of influence he had with ministers. The Conservatives forced the Cabinet Office to release all documents related to the controversial hire earlier this year via a parliamentary procedure called a “Humble Address”. The first tranche of documents showed that Mandelson had got the top job against recommendations from security officials. Most ministers and civil servants have handed over their private exchanges with the former Washington attache for the second batch of documents. Some of the files have been redacted amid concerns about international security and the ongoing Metropolitan Police probe into Mandelson’s conduct in public office. The ex- Labour peer has not been charged and insists he is not guilty of any wrongdoing. Deciding to appoint Mandelson into the top diplomatic post has cast a huge shadow over Keir Starmer’s premiership. He has repeatedly accused Mandelson of creating a “litany of deceit” around his ties to Epstein, but his critics continue to lambast him over it. Here’s a look at the most eye-catching findings within the 1,400 pages... 1. Pat McFadden Criticises ‘Tax-Raising’ Labour MPs McFadden made clear his frustration with Labour MPs in private messages with Mandelson. Speaking around the time Labour MPs were rebelling over planned welfare cuts in May last year, McFadden said: “Every meeting I have is ‘who can we tax in order to pay benefits to others’. They’re asking the wrong questions.” The government was eventually forced into a huge climbdown on cutting welfare amid the backlash from Labour MPs. 2. Mandelson Refused To Hand Over His Own WhatsApps The documents make it clear that the ex-ambassador did not want to assist the Humble Address process. The report reads: “On 31 March the [Cabinet Office] wrote to Peter Mandelson - via his solicitors - to request any information held on his personal phone. Peter Mandelson declined to comply with this request. The Government has no further recourse to search the personal devices of Peter Mandelson.” 3. ‘Thick Of It’ Row Over Trump Red Box Gift Olly Robbins, the most senior civil servant in the Foreign Office who was dismissed over the Mandelson’s vetting row, exchanged messages with top officials – including the ex-ambassador – about a potential gift for Trump. In August 2025, Robbins wrote: “As I’m sure you know, [it] is clear that one of the gifts that would mean the most to the President would be a red dispatch box with the gold crest and lettering mimicking a UK Government Ministerial box with ’President of the United States”. Mandelson was involved in lengthy emails with other officials in trying to get the gift secured. He then complained in a private email to No.10′s former chief of staff Morgan McSweeney that “the saga goes one… this is like something out of [the] Thick of It… I have gone tonto on this.” 4. Praise For Mandelson From Those Within Labour The messages showed many Labour figures welcomed Mandelson’s appointment when it was first announced. Then-health secretary Wes Streeting told Mandelson that the “PLP [Parliamentary Labour Party] WhatsApps are stratospheric in praise” over Mandelson’s first public appearance in Washington. Pensions minister Torsten Bell messaged Mandelson when he was announced as ambassador, writing: “You. Are. Here.” He added: “Very proud of what is yet to come! Hope this comes off.” However, several ministers – including then justice secretary Shabana Mahmood and transport secretary Heidi Alexander – appeared to Mandelson’s messages. Then assistant government whip and now transport minister Keir Mather also ignored all contact from Mandelson. 5. Wes Streeting’s ‘Mid-Life Crisis’ Streeting, previously considered one of Mandelson’s “proteges”, was heavily criticised by Mandelson in his messages to Pat McFadden. Mandelson said it was “pathetic” for Streeting to have circulated “a series of videos and a note” to the cabinet after his intervention on alleged war crimes in Gaza. Mandelson then wrote: “I think Wes is experiencing an early mid-life crisis.” 6. Tearing Down Ed Miliband Mandelson wrote disparagingly about energy secretary Ed Miliband’s spat with ex-prime minister Tony Blair about net zero in late 2025. He claimed Miliband “couldn’t resist yesterday. So person and stupid. If he had played differently it would have had [a] fraction of attention.” 7. Attacks On Keir Starmer Discussing one of Starmer’s trips to the White House to discuss the Ukraine war, Mandelson tore into the prime minister’s “completely reductionist” approach. Speaking to Pat McFadden over WhatsApp, Mandelson said: ”[Starmer] Wants to avoid any encounter with journos that might involve him answering a question. No sense of opportunity for personal projection. Just avoid all risk. Always the same. They/he have no confidence.” He also attacked the No.10 operation, calling it “beleaguered and bereft” last July and said the top team “don’t think Keir knows what he wants”. 8. Mandelson Told Lammy He Would ‘Never Regret’ Appointing Him On November 18, 2024, Mandelson wrote a hand written letter to Lammy, then the foreign secretary, insisting that he was the right appointment as US ambassador. He said: “I just wanted you to know that if you were minded to appoint me I would make sure you never regret it.” He added: “I fear that navigating Britain’s interests through the Trump administration will require super-human skills and luck and a massive team effort.” He continued: “For me, it would be the last thing I do in public life and it would be a huge honour to serve you and the government in this role.” Subscribe to Commons People , the podcast that makes politics easy. Every week, Kevin Schofield and Kate Nicholson unpack the week’s biggest stories to keep you informed. Join us for straightforward analysis of what’s going on at Westminster. Related... 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