Peter Mandelson's unfiltered remarks to cabinet officials have been made public in hundreds of pages of documents relating to his appointment as US ambassador. The files, running to three volumes and more than 1,000 pages, include strong criticism of Prime Minister Keir Starmer, mostly from Mandelson himself.
In WhatsApp messages exchanged with a senior cabinet minister, Mandelson criticised Starmer’s lack of “verve” and tendency to buckle under pressure, suggesting the prime minister should behave in a more “Trumpian” fashion. The documents also reveal that Work and Pensions Secretary Pat McFadden agreed with a controversial intervention by Tony Blair last year, in which Blair rubbished Labour’s net zero plans.
McFadden described Blair’s comments as “spot on” in messages to Mandelson, though he noted the timing was poor. Mandelson himself seemed unimpressed by Energy Secretary Ed Miliband’s response to Blair, calling it “so personal and stupid”. Many energy experts suspect Mandelson may have been lobbying behind the scenes to ditch net zero plans.
The Department for Business and Trade (DBT) was “cut out of conversations” about the US trade deal in May 2025 over concerns about leaks to the press, according to the Press Association. In WhatsApp exchanges with then-No 10 communications director Steph Driver, Mandelson said the department was being “irresponsible” and that pre-briefing could undermine the deal’s impact.
