Documents Reveal Government Divisions Amid Mandelson Appointment
On 18 November 2024, Peter Mandelson wrote to Foreign Secretary David Lammy with a straightforward assurance regarding his potential appointment.
“If you were minded to appoint me [as ambassador to Washington], I would make sure you never regret it.”
Since that time, senior government figures including Lammy and Prime Minister Keir Starmer have found cause for considerable regret over the appointment.
With Starmer’s leadership already weakened, the release of over 1,000 pages of documents related to Mandelson’s appointment has further highlighted why many Labour MPs have lost confidence in the government.
Kemi Badenoch, the Conservative leader, initially demanded the publication of these documents to uncover what ministers and officials knew about Mandelson’s connections to the convicted paedophile Jeffrey Epstein, as well as any security concerns raised during his appointment process.
However, the files have revealed less about the security vetting and more about the internal perceptions and tensions within the Labour government.
Mandelson’s Critical Assessments of Government Colleagues
Many of the most scathing comments in the documents come from Mandelson himself.
“Keir is not leading from the front and Morgan [McSweeney, his chief of staff] is not organising the centre as it needs to be,”
he wrote to Cabinet Office minister Pat McFadden in May 2024.
“It stems from the top and Keir lacks verve as does the Cabinet as a whole.”
He added:
“People’s heads are broadly in the right place but you need more people who can execute.”
On a later occasion, Mandelson described No 10 as:
“beleaguered and bereft.”
He also noted others’ critical views of the prime minister, including that of Morgan McSweeney, who had advocated strongly for Mandelson’s appointment.
“[McSweeney’s] view from when Keir first stood is that the cycle has been the same, advance/buckle/advance/buckle.”
Regarding other Labour figures, Mandelson described Wes Streeting as:
“hysterical” and “experiencing an early mid-life crisis” about Gaza.
He characterized energy secretary Ed Miliband’s criticism of former prime minister Tony Blair as:
“personal and stupid.”
Rachel Reeves was described as:
“on a growth mission but without an argument about where the growth will come from or how.”
Other Officials’ Critical Remarks
Mandelson is not alone in his critical tone towards colleagues.
Pat McFadden expressed frustration about Labour MPs:
“Every meeting I have is ‘who can we tax in order to pay benefits to others’. They’re asking the wrong questions.”
He also supported Blair’s criticisms of the government’s net zero strategy in a comment to Mandelson:
“Tb content bang on.”
Meanwhile, pensions minister Torsten Bell complained in a message to Mandelson:
“Everyone [in government] seems to think it’s someone else’s job to get the policy right … which is very odd.”
Time Spent on Minor Matters
The documents also reveal how government time was consumed by detailed discussions on seemingly minor issues.
For example, in August 2024, senior officials engaged in a lengthy email chain debating how to procure a ministerial-style red box as a gift for US President Donald Trump. Mandelson likened this to the BBC satire The Thick of It.
Limited Disclosure on Vetting Procedures
The files provide relatively little information about the vetting process behind Mandelson’s appointment.
At times, Mandelson appeared dismissive of requests to disclose his contacts with foreign officials.
“Do you mean literally every foreign national I have ever met?”
he asked a staff member, adding:
“I assume not.”
One junior official, whose name is redacted, advised him:
“I suggest you send over the handful of names you mentioned, even though you don’t consider them ‘close contacts’. That will reassure the vetting team that you’ve been comprehensive, even if it’s all quite artificial.”
The documents do not include any agreement that Mandelson would take measures to mitigate security concerns regarding his foreign contacts.
They also lack details explaining why vetting officials initially recommended denying him clearance. A document indicating concerns about Mandelson’s contacts in Israel, Russia, and China has been withheld following Metropolitan Police advice due to an ongoing investigation.
Epstein’s Name Rarely Mentioned
Despite initial focus on Mandelson’s links to Jeffrey Epstein, the files reveal Epstein’s name was seldom mentioned before Mandelson’s dismissal.
If Badenoch’s objective was to prove the government appointed Mandelson despite awareness of close ties to Epstein, the documents do not support this claim.
However, if the aim was to expose a government plagued by infighting and widespread doubts about the prime minister’s leadership, the files have been notably effective.
