Auto Amazon Links: No products found.
A fresh set of documents connected to Lord Mandelson’s tenure as the UK ambassador to the United States was released on Monday. This publication follows a parliamentary decision made in February to disclose records revealing the internal deliberations surrounding his appointment to the diplomatic post.
Lord Mandelson was dismissed from his ambassadorial role last year by Sir Keir Starmer, after details emerged in the US about the depth of his association with the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. The recently released paperwork spans over 1,500 pages, yet several significant questions about the appointment process remain unresolved.
Among the files are more than 160 pages of communications, including messages and WhatsApp exchanges between Lord Mandelson and various government ministers and officials. However, information from Mandelson’s personal phone is absent, as he refused to provide the device for inspection. The documents include a handful of messages between Mandelson and Sir Keir Starmer, covering topics such as election campaigning in Bury and mutual praise of former Conservative Prime Minister John Major. Downing Street later confirmed that the prime minister’s phone uses a disappearing messages feature but declined to confirm whether any relevant communications had been deleted. Officials assured that all available communications had been submitted.
Notably missing from the released data are messages from Morgan McSweeney, Sir Keir Starmer’s former chief of staff, who resigned amid intensifying scrutiny over his involvement in supporting Mandelson’s appointment. McSweeney reported his government-issued phone stolen last year, and it has not been recovered, limiting the messages he could provide. Some materials have been withheld at the Metropolitan Police’s request, who are investigating allegations against Mandelson related to misconduct in public office—a charge that the peer denies. Additionally, certain messages have been redacted to protect national security and diplomatic interests.
The government revealed that Mandelson’s security clearance for the ambassadorial role was granted by the Foreign Office despite being opposed by the United Kingdom Security Vetting (UKSV) agency. Downing Street stated that neither the prime minister nor other ministers were aware of this vetting decision at the time. The newly published documents, however, did not include Mandelson’s full vetting form or a summary of the vetting process.
Further details regarding the vetting process remain absent. For example, a blank template sent to Mandelson to declare interests was published as part of the initial release in March, but the completed declaration and any related conflict of interest resolutions have yet to be made public. Regarding his connection with Jeffrey Epstein, Sir Keir Starmer has accused Mandelson of not fully disclosing the relationship during vetting. Follow-up questions about Epstein were reportedly posed by McSweeney, but Mandelson’s replies have not been revealed. Mandelson maintains that he responded accurately to all inquiries about Epstein.
Documents also include discussions between Mandelson and Lord Matthew Doyle, then No 10’s chief of communications, focusing on concerns over an agreement to transfer sovereignty of the Chagos Islands to Mauritius. The deal, which included an annual payment to lease back a joint UK-US military base on Diego Garcia, was ultimately suspended after the US failed to give official approval. In January 2025, prior to a change in the US presidency, Mandelson expressed increasing worry about the Chagos issue in messages to Lord Doyle. Part of this conversation remains redacted, so the full content of his concerns is unknown
Read the full article from The BBC here: Read More
Auto Amazon Links: No products found.