Darren Jones, the chief secretary to the prime minister, privately expressed sympathy to Peter Mandelson after he was sacked as US ambassador, according to undisclosed text messages reported by The Spectator. The messages were not included in the recent release of documents under a parliamentary humble address, and Jones had previously stated he had nothing to release due to changing phones.
In one message, Jones wrote: “You’ve been doing such a great job, and you worked wonders with Trump. I’m so sorry about today.” He also sought advice on the reshuffle and made critical remarks about then business secretary Jonathan Reynolds, saying it did not “fill you with confidence” that Reynolds, Angela Rayner, and Rachel Reeves were in charge of growth plans.
Jones reportedly said he had “lost faith” in Reynolds’ advisers, citing a call about Port Talbot where they took a different position “because that’s what the unions want.” He also expressed a preference to be appointed business secretary, saying “DBT my preference – everyone fond of Jonny but perception that DBT not firing on full cylinders.”
Jones defended the missing messages in Parliament, stating that only Mandelson could release them, and Mandelson has refused to hand over his phone. The government published over 1,500 pages of documents, but some were withheld due to a police investigation into Mandelson for misconduct in public office. Prime Minister Starmer also reportedly sent a warm text to Mandelson upon his appointment, which was not disclosed.
