Darren Jones, the chief secretary to the prime minister, has come under scrutiny after undisclosed text messages revealed he sent commiserations to Peter Mandelson following his dismissal as US ambassador. The messages, reported by the Spectator, were not included in the government's recent release of documents under a parliamentary humble address.
In the texts, Jones wrote to Mandelson: 'You’ve been doing such a great job, and you worked wonders with Trump. I’m so sorry about today.' He also made critical remarks about then-business secretary Jonathan Reynolds and the influence of trade unions, saying he had 'lost faith' in Reynolds' advisers over their deference to union demands.
Jones, who had claimed he had no messages to release due to changing phones, also sought Mandelson's advice on a proposed reshuffle, expressing a preference for the business secretary role. He said: 'DBT [Department for Business and Trade] my preference – everyone fond of Jonny but perception that DBT not firing on full cylinders.'
The chief secretary defended his actions in parliament, stating that only Mandelson could disclose their messages, as Mandelson had refused to hand over his phone. Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer is also reported to have sent Mandelson a warm message that was not disclosed.
The government published over 1,500 pages of documents on Monday, which it described as 'unprecedented transparency'. However, MPs have raised concerns about missing documents, including those withheld due to a police investigation into Mandelson for misconduct in public office.
