|
We are still in the process of reading through the second tranche of documents related to Mandelson’s appointment as US ambassador. But already they are proving highly embarrassing for the government.
Work and Pensions Secretary Pat McFadden is one the government ministers seen as most loyal to the prime minister. Like Mandelson, he is a veteran of the New Labour years and is despatched to do difficult interviews when the government has been in its tightest spots.
But his messages with Mandelson reveal a scathing view of Labour MPs.
“Every meeting I have is ‘who can we tax in order to pay benefits to others’,” McFadden wrote to Mandelson in May 2025. Remember, McFadden is now in charge of overseeing reforms to the welfare system.
Allies of McFadden point out that message was sent before he was in charge of the UK’s benefits regime. He was running the Cabinet Office at the time.
But in lengthy exchanges with McFadden, Mandelson is scathing about Starmer and his No 10 operation. “Beleaguered and bereft,” he says at one point. “Keir lacks verve as does the Cabinet as a whole,” is another message from Mandelson.
It is a strikingly candid private exchange with one of Starmer’s supposedly loyal ministers. Away from the excruciating details of private messages revealing views at the heart of government, another key question will be around Mandelson’s security vetting.
It’s understood the Metropolitan Police have asked for the summary of his vetting to be held back while they investigate him on suspicion of misconduct in public office. But there will be questions around what security mitigations were put in place. Mandelson has denied wrongdoing.
The essential: The early revelations from the latest Mandelson files are already proving embarrassing for the government, containing scathing criticism from both Starmer loyalist McFadden as well as from Mandelson. And key questions around the vetting process are unlikely to fade.
|
