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Lord Mandelson is set to be requested to provide messages from his personal phone as part of the ongoing release of documents concerning his appointment as the UK ambassador to the United States, according to information obtained by the BBC. So far, only messages from his official work phone have been reviewed by the Cabinet Office, but officials are preparing to disclose thousands of files after Mandelson’s dismissal from the post. These files are expected to include communications between Mandelson and Labour ministers and advisers.
Government sources have stressed that asking for additional messages from Mandelson’s personal phone was always part of the plan and is unrelated to the theft of Morgan McSweeney’s phone, the former chief-of-staff to Sir Keir Starmer. While authorities have access to some messages exchanged between Mandelson and McSweeney, they have not confirmed whether any data was lost due to the stolen phone incident. The personal messages could fill gaps in the record, offering insight into conversations that might not otherwise be available.
Opposition figures suggest that these messages might reveal the frequency of Mandelson’s contacts with Labour government officials and whether he played a role in influencing their decisions. Mandelson was removed from his ambassadorship last year following revelations about his connection to the late Jeffrey Epstein, a convicted sex offender. Earlier this year, following a Conservative-backed Parliamentary motion, MPs compelled the government to release documents regarding his appointment, which also includes messages with ministers and McSweeney dating back to mid-2024.
The Cabinet Office has announced plans to publish a second, larger batch of documents related to Mandelson’s appointment in the near future. The theft of McSweeney’s work phone occurred in October, a month after Mandelson’s dismissal but before MPs demanded the release of the relevant materials. Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch raised suspicions over the phone theft in an article for the Daily Telegraph, urging transparency over the incident and suggesting some speculate that McSweeney’s phone might have been deliberately exposed to theft. The Metropolitan Police unusually released the full transcript of McSweeney’s call reporting his phone stolen, describing how it was snatched by a cyclist while he was walking along a street.
Sir Keir Starmer has publicly asserted that Mandelson “lied” during the vetting process for the ambassador role and hopes the forthcoming document disclosures will substantiate this claim. At the time of Mandelson’s appointment, it was publicly known that he remained connected to Epstein even after Epstein’s initial conviction related to soliciting a minor for prostitution. Previously released Cabinet Office documents indicate that Sir Keir was warned about the “general reputational risk” posed by Mandelson’s friendship with Epstein before confirming his ambassadorial appointment.
Certain documents have been withheld from publication at the request of the police, who are investigating allegations of misconduct in public office against Mandelson. Among the withheld papers is a vetting exchange where McSweeney posed three questions to Mandelson about his links to Epstein. These queries reportedly concerned Mandelson’s ongoing contact with Epstein following Epstein’s conviction, his visits to Epstein’s residence while Epstein was incarcerated, and his involvement with a charity connected to Epstein associate Ghislaine Maxwell.
While Mandelson has declined to comment publicly, sources familiar with his stance indicate he maintains that he has not engaged in any criminal activity, was not driven by financial motives, and answered vetting questions about his relationship with Epstein truthfully
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