MPs have voted to require ministers to share documents related to Peter Mandelson's appointment as US ambassador with the Intelligence and Security Committee (ISC), after the government bowed to backbench pressure. The original plan would have allowed ministers to block publication on national security grounds, but an amendment tabled by senior Labour MPs Angela Rayner and Dame Meg Hillier forced a change.
Cabinet Office minister Chris Ward confirmed that the documents would not be released immediately but said they would be handed over “as soon as possible”. He added that the process would involve independent lawyers or the ISC, with no political involvement from ministers or Number 10.
The Metropolitan Police have asked Number 10 not to release “certain documents” about Mandelson, warning it could “undermine” its investigation. However, Commons Speaker Lindsay Hoyle ruled that the Met has “no jurisdiction” over Parliament.
During Prime Minister’s Questions, Keir Starmer acknowledged that he knew when appointing Mandelson in December 2024 that he had remained friends with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein after his conviction. Campaigners are now calling for full transparency over Mandelson’s links to Palantir, a US tech firm with UK government contracts worth over £500 million.
Mandelson co-founded and part-owns Global Counsel, a lobbying company that works for Palantir. The cabinet secretary, Sir Chris Wormald, is being urged to disclose details of Mandelson’s role in arranging a visit by Starmer to Palantir’s Washington DC showroom in February 2025, shortly after Mandelson became ambassador.
