The publication of over 1,000 pages of documents relating to Peter Mandelson’s appointment as ambassador to Washington has exposed deep divisions within the Labour government, while the Labour minister responsible has remained silent on what the files reveal about Mandelson’s links to convicted paedophile Jeffrey Epstein. The documents, released on Monday, were originally demanded by Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch to shed light on security vetting, but instead highlighted widespread discontent with Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s leadership.
Mandelson himself offered some of the most damning assessments of the government in private messages. In correspondence with Cabinet Office minister Pat McFadden last May, he wrote: “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 described No 10 as “beleaguered and bereft” and claimed that Starmer’s chief of staff had a longstanding view that the prime minister’s cycle is “advance/buckle/advance/buckle”.
Other ministers also faced criticism. Mandelson called Health Secretary Wes Streeting “hysterical” and “experiencing an early mid-life crisis” over Gaza, while describing Energy Secretary Ed Miliband’s criticism of Tony Blair as “personal and stupid”. Chancellor Rachel Reeves was said to be “on a growth mission but without an argument about where the growth will come from”. McFadden himself criticised Labour MPs for focusing on taxation, saying: “Every meeting I have is: ‘Who can we tax in order to pay benefits to others?’”
Despite the political fallout, the documents provided limited detail on Mandelson’s ties to Epstein or the security vetting process. Mandelson appeared dismissive of requests to declare foreign contacts, asking: “Do you mean literally every foreign national I have ever met?” One unnamed official advised him to send a “handful of names” to satisfy the vetting team, describing the process as “quite artificial”. The Guardian reported that no agreement was reached for Mandelson to mitigate security concerns over his overseas contacts.
The files also revealed how government time was consumed by trivial matters, including a lengthy email chain about procuring a ministerial-style red box as a gift for US President Donald Trump—a process Mandelson likened to the BBC satire The Thick of It. As the Labour minister responsible for the appointment refused to comment on Mandelson’s future, the documents have served to deepen questions about Starmer’s authority and the government’s cohesion.
