The SNP's Westminster leader has called for a probe into the Scottish Secretary after it was revealed he was in contact with Lord Peter Mandelson following the Epstein scandal.
Meeting not declared for 18 months
In a letter to the UK Government, Dave Doogan MP called for an investigation into Douglas Alexander after he did not announce for a year and a half that he had met Lord Mandelson's lobbying firm Global Council. The meeting was held in summer 2024 but was not declared until March 2026.
Mr Doogan believes Mr Alexander should be investigated as to whether he broke the ministerial code over his failure to declare the meeting for so long.
Details of the letter
The letter, addressed to ministerial ethics watchdog Sir Laurie Magnus, states: "Despite publicly claiming last month that Mandelson 'should not have been appointed' as the Labour government's ambassador to the United States, these newly released messages confirm that Alexander privately welcomed the appointment, congratulating Mandelson by saying 'good news for you, for the government and for the country'.
"Mr Alexander also appears to credit Mandelson with his actual return as an MP, texting 'you probably don't realise quite how influential you've been in this whole improbable journey. From your initial encouragement two years ago this month 'Douglas… you're going to have to become all Laboury again!' to your quiet and effective support when Gordon came out for [redacted] in the selection… I won't forget any of it.'
"There are now serious questions as to whether the obvious closeness of that personal relationship – as confirmed by these gushing messages – was exploited by Peter Mandelson to dictate and direct the ministerial meetings and decisions taken by Douglas Alexander."
Concerns over lobbying links
He referenced the BBC's coverage of Mr Alexander and Lord Mandelson's meeting when the former was trade minister in 2024, adding: "Natural suspicion and concern about the failure to declare this meeting is also amplified by the fact that Mandelson's lobbying firm had well known links to Chinese state organisations and sanction-hit Russian oligarchs. These links were all red flagged as areas of concern shortly before he took up his post as the UK's ambassador to the US."
The UK Government was approached for comment.
