MPs have voted to compel ministers to share documents relating to Peter Mandelson's appointment as US ambassador with Parliament's Intelligence and Security Committee (ISC). The government initially sought to retain the power to block publication on national security grounds, but altered its plans following pressure from senior Labour backbenchers including Angela Rayner and Dame Meg Hillier.
Cabinet Office minister Chris Ward confirmed the documents would not be released immediately but said they would be handed over “as soon as possible”. The Metropolitan Police had asked Number 10 not to release certain files, warning it could “undermine” its investigation, but Speaker Lindsay Hoyle told the Commons the force had “no jurisdiction” over Parliament.
During Prime Minister's Questions, Sir Keir Starmer acknowledged he knew when appointing Mandelson in December 2024 that the peer had remained friends with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein after his conviction. Separately, campaigners are calling for full transparency over Mandelson's involvement with the US technology company Palantir, which holds UK government contracts worth more than £500 million. Mandelson co-founded and part-owns the lobbying firm Global Counsel, which also works for Palantir.
Ward said the release process would be handled by the Cabinet Secretary or the ISC, with “no political involvement from ministers or Number 10”. The move follows concerns about Mandelson's role in arranging a visit by Starmer to Palantir's Washington showroom in February 2025, shortly after he became ambassador. Palantir signed a £241 million three-year contract with the Ministry of Defence in January 2025 to boost military artificial intelligence.
