Lord Peter Mandelson told the Government it would “never regret” appointing him as Britain’s ambassador to the US, according to a note published alongside thousands of documents about the posting. The second tranche of documents relating to Sir Keir Starmer’s decision to give the prestigious Washington job to Lord Mandelson rather than a career diplomat were released by the Government on Monday afternoon.
Mandelson's Personal Note to David Lammy
The note, dated November 18, 2024, appears to have been written as Lord Mandelson awaited the results of a vote for Oxford University’s next chancellor, a role he was considered a frontrunner for. The letter, written in blue pen on notepaper headed with Lord Mandelson’s name and a House of Lords seal, read: “Dear David, As today (and all week) is polling day in Oxford and I am returning to London, I wanted to drop you a line, personally, about Washington. Thankfully, the media speculation has gone away and I hope this was not too irritating to you. I just wanted you to know that if you were minded to appoint me I would make sure you never regret it.”
Navigating Britain’s interests “through the Trump administration will require super-human skills and luck and a massive team effort,” he said, adding: “For me it would be the last thing I do in public life and it would be a huge honour to serve you and the Government in this role. So if you are up for it, so am I.”
WhatsApp Exchanges and Government Transparency
Lord Mandelson also “declined to comply” with a request to hand over his personal phone and allow the Government to publish WhatsApp messages and other information related to his appointment, the documents showed. Ahead of their publication, the Prime Minister’s official spokesman described the sweeping whole-of-government effort to publish the documents as an “unprecedented piece of Government transparency”. Ministers were braced for embarrassing revelations ahead of the publication of the files, which include thousands of previously private WhatsApp messages exchanged between figures at the top of government.
The release showed Lord Mandelson exchanged WhatsApp messages with a series of government ministers. On July 20, 2025, he told pensions minister Torsten Bell that “the government doesn’t do policy, generally speaking, well enough.” Mr Bell told him: “That is definitely true – everyone seems to think it’s someone else’s job to get the policy right… Which is very odd.” Lord Mandelson replied: “As the saying goes, rubbish in rubbish out…”
Comments on Louise Haigh’s Exit
Elsewhere, he described former transport secretary Louise Haigh’s exit from government as “harsh” after she quit over a fraud offence. In a message to her on November 29, 2024, he said: “Lou, I am very sorry about this. You have been brave and loyal in your decision but it seems harsh given you were appointed in full knowledge. But you have acted in a way that enables you to come back later and everything you say and do now should be done with that in mind. Strong and honourable.” Lord Mandelson was twice forced to quit government posts during the New Labour era.
Scope of Released Documents
The three volumes of documents, in a release totalling 1,504 pages, cover subjects ranging from discussions around a trade deal with the US to Lord Mandelson’s persistent lobbying of senior Labour MPs for support for the Oxford University job. They also show Lord Mandelson seeking to facilitate meetings between ministers and his friends and contacts – including suggesting that Sir Keir should have a “chat” with Tory former prime minister Sir John Major after the 2024 Labour landslide. Sir Keir replied: “I’ll reach out to John M, he’s a very thoughtful man.”
