Government documents about Peter Mandelson's appointment as Washington ambassador contain no record of measures taken to mitigate serious security concerns, the Guardian has learned. Multiple sources who have seen the files, due to be published on Monday, say there is no detail about steps to address flags raised over his associations with senior figures in foreign states. The omissions cast doubt on assurances provided by senior Whitehall officials to MPs on the foreign affairs select committee.
The Guardian also understands that Mandelson was not asked to take any steps himself to allay such concerns. One source briefed on the documents said: 'The big question I would be asking is why there is no written record of what mitigations were put in place. We’ve been told they were there, but why is there no document showing he accepted them?'
Multiple sources said that while Mandelson had been asked to provide assurances over potential commercial conflicts of interest, there was no record indicating the same was true about matters of national security. The Guardian revealed last week that the former peer's associations with senior figures in China, Russia and Israel were among the red flags raised by the UK's vetting agency when it concluded he should be denied clearance.
The document release sets up another difficult week for Prime Minister Keir Starmer, after Tony Blair's essay last Tuesday arguing the government had abandoned the centre ground. Ministers are braced for the release of embarrassing exchanges with Mandelson from his time in Washington, including criticism of Starmer, which could further undermine his authority as many MPs call for his resignation.
Senior government insiders said they expected awkward WhatsApp messages from ministers 'trying to impress' Mandelson, but did not anticipate resignations. Sources suggested there were also exchanges revealing that the former ambassador gave unsolicited advice to ministers on policy areas outside his diplomatic brief. A government spokesperson said the second tranche of documents would be among the largest publications ever laid in parliament, reflecting a transparent process.
