Highlights
- Second tranche of Mandelson files due for publication
- More than 1,000 pages expected to be released
- Documents linked to Starmer’s appointment of Mandelson as US envoy
- Scrutiny over Mandelson’s links to Jeffrey Epstein returns to spotlight
MINISTERS were braced on Monday for the release of another batch of documents linked to prime minister Keir Starmer’s appointment of Peter Mandelson as envoy to the United States.
Hundreds of files, expected to total more than 1,000 pages, were due to be published as scrutiny over Mandelson’s links to convicted US sex offender Jeffrey Epstein returned to the spotlight for Starmer and the Labour government.
The documents form the second tranche of files connected to Mandelson’s short period in Washington last year, which ended after details of his friendship with Epstein emerged.
“The volume of information that's going to be put out is unprecedented,” government minister James Murray told Sky News.
Starmer blasts Mandelson vetting lapse
The files are expected to include messages between Mandelson, ministers and government advisers, including Starmer’s former chief of staff Morgan McSweeney, who resigned after advising the prime minister to make the appointment.
The government said some documents were being withheld following police advice. Officers are investigating Mandelson over alleged misconduct in office dating back more than a decade.
Mandelson has been accused of leaking sensitive information to billionaire financier Epstein while serving as a government minister. He denies wrongdoing. Epstein died in a US prison in 2019 while awaiting trial.
Members of parliament voted in February to force the government to publish documents linked to Mandelson’s appointment.
Documents released in March showed Starmer had been warned Mandelson posed a “general reputational risk” because of his links to Epstein, but he appointed him regardless.
Starmer appointed Mandelson to the diplomatic role in December 2024 before removing him nine months later. The issue has continued to affect the prime minister in recent months.
Starmer Regrets Mandelson Appointment Over Epstein Ties
The controversy contributed to poor election results for Labour in Scotland, Wales and England last month, prompting dozens of Labour MPs to call for Starmer to resign.
Greater Manchester mayor Andy Burnham is contesting a special election later this month to return to parliament. The move is widely seen as a possible step towards challenging Starmer for the Labour leadership.
Starmer has apologised for appointing Mandelson and to the women trafficked by Epstein, but he has refused to resign.
The controversy has also led to the departures of Starmer’s former chief of communications and the top civil servant at the foreign office. The prime minister dismissed the civil servant for failing to tell him and other ministers that Mandelson had not cleared security checks for the role.
