Newly disclosed messages show Chief Secretary to the Treasury Darren Jones commiserated with Peter Mandelson after his dismissal as US ambassador, despite previously claiming he had no messages to release. The texts, published by the Spectator, reveal Jones sought Mandelson's advice on the reshuffle and made critical remarks about colleagues.
In one message, Jones wrote: “You’ve been doing such a great job, and you worked wonders with Trump. I’m so sorry about today.” He also expressed frustration with the then business secretary Jonathan Reynolds, saying it did not “fill you with confidence” that Reynolds and Angela Rayner were handling growth plans. Jones criticised Reynolds’s advisers for deferring to union demands.
Jones admitted to MPs that he changed his phone after starting at the Cabinet Office, meaning some messages could not be retrieved. He asserted that only Mandelson could release their exchanges, but Mandelson has refused to hand over his phone. The government published over 1,500 pages of documents, but several items remain missing, including a security summary on Mandelson and messages from the prime minister and his former chief of staff.
