Downing Street officials have been formally instructed to surrender private messages from WhatsApp groups involving Peter Mandelson, as the investigation into his controversial appointment as British ambassador to Washington expands significantly. This development comes amid mounting pressure on Sir Keir Starmer over allegations of a cover-up during the initial release of the Mandelson files earlier this month.
Missing Correspondence and Auto-Deletion Concerns
Personal email correspondence between Mandelson and former No 10 chief of staff Morgan McSweeney, who played a pivotal role in the appointment process, were conspicuously absent from the public release. Cat Little, the Cabinet Office Permanent Secretary, has now written to officials involved in the decision to appoint Mandelson, demanding they hand over any 'group chat' exchanges conducted on 'private devices'.
However, critics have raised serious concerns that the delay in this request means the most pertinent messages will have already been automatically deleted by now. While it is illegal to 'conceal information with the intention of preventing its disclosure', this prohibition does not apply to chats that automatically clear after a predetermined period of time.
Police Investigation and Questionable Delegation
Amid the ongoing Metropolitan Police investigation, the Prime Minister has faced intense questioning about why he did not personally interview Mandelson to assess the extent of his friendship with convicted paedophile Jeffrey Epstein. Instead, Sir Keir delegated this critical task to Mr McSweeney and Matthew Doyle – another Mandelson ally who served as director of communications at the time.
To date, only 31 documents and messages relating to Mandelson's appointment and his dismissal nine months later have been made public. All of these originate from official email addresses, with none involving Mr McSweeney. Reports indicate that Mr McSweeney utilised his personal email address during discussions with Mandelson prior to the appointment being finalised.
Political Pressure and Watchdog Involvement
Sir Keir agreed to release documents relating to the appointment only under intense pressure from MPs, with the process being overseen by the cross-party intelligence and security committee. Tory front-bencher Alex Burghart has now written to sleaze watchdog Sir Laurie Magnus demanding an investigation into the 'missing' correspondence that has yet to surface.
Mandelson was arrested last month on suspicion of misconduct in public office as part of a Met Police probe into whether he passed government information to Epstein. He has consistently denied any wrongdoing throughout these proceedings.
Revelations About Ongoing Epstein Relationship
In 2024, the Prime Minister received an official report showing that Mandelson's relationship with Epstein continued after the latter's conviction. Sir Keir subsequently tasked Mr McSweeney with asking Mandelson just three questions about this relationship. Lord Doyle then reviewed the responses and declared himself 'satisfied' with the answers provided.
Notably, there exists no written record of Starmer's decision to appoint Mandelson, which was made during an un-minuted meeting that has raised further questions about transparency and accountability.
Allegations of Deliberate Evidence Destruction
Alex Burghart, Shadow Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, stated emphatically: 'Ministers sat on their hands while messages and emails were allowed to auto-delete. The Government continues frustrating Parliament's will by letting important evidence vanish. This looks like a deliberate cover-up of No 10's involvement in the Mandelson-Epstein scandal.'
Downing Street has firmly rejected claims of a cover-up, though officials have acknowledged that there are 'lessons to be learnt on the wider appointment process' following this controversial episode. The investigation continues as authorities seek to uncover the full extent of communications surrounding this politically sensitive appointment.
