‘It’s like The Thick of It’: The toe-curling revelations in Mandelson’s private messages

Peter Mandelson assured ministers that the Government would “never regret” appointing him as UK ambassador to the US, newly released documents show.

The second tranche of the so-called Mandelson files contain hundreds of private WhatsApp and email exchanges between Lord Mandelson, current and former Cabinet ministers, senior civil servants and special advisers.

They include texts between Mandelson – who was sacked last September over his links to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein – and current welfare minister Pat McFadden, who said the Prime Minister had “destroyed” his own authority by watering down his benefit reforms last year.

Also included is a handwritten note from Mandelson to then-foreign secretary David Lammy, who was told the Government would “never regret” appointing him as ambassador.

The latest release of files – which include 1,500 pages of documents – is the largest publication to Parliament since the Chilcot Inquiry into the Iraq war in July 2016.

And these new revelations will likely pile fresh pressure on Starmer at a time when his premiership is in question. Here is what the documents show:

‘You won’t regret appointing me,’ Mandelson tells Lammy

Mandelson said the Government would “never regret” appointing him as ambassador to the US in a written note to David Lammy, the latest files released by the Government have revealed.

In a handwritten note to the then-foreign secretary, dated 18 November 2024, Mandelson wrote: “Dear David, As today (and all week) is polling day in Oxford and I am returning to London, I wanted to drop you a line, personally, about Washington.

“Thankfully, the media speculation has gone away and I hope this was not too irritating to you. I just wanted you to know that if you were minded to appoint me I would make sure you never regret it.

“I fear that navigating Britain’s interests through the Trump administration will require super-human skills and luck and a massive team effort.

“There is so much riding on it, on security and defence, on trade and economy and on the relationship, not to mention China.”

Mandelson and Starmer ally Pat McFadden gossiping

The documents include several instances of Mandelson talking about Starmer’s leadership, telling Cabinet minister Pat McFadden that the PM “lacks verve” and was not “leading from the front”.

The messages sent to McFadden – who was Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster at the time – reveal that Mandelson also said Gordon Brown “has it in for Keir… big time” and described Angela Rayner as an “instrument of destabilization”.

On 2 May 2025, the day after local elections in which Labour suffered heavy losses, McFadden messaged Mandelson for advice.

He asked: “What are the basic message choices after local election losses?”

In response, Mandelson said it was “not clear” what the Government’s plan for the country was to voters. He said: “The mantra is Plan for Change. But what is the Plan?”

He added in a later message: “It stems from the top and Keir lacks verve as does the Cabinet as a whole. People’s heads are broadly in the right place but you need more people who can execute.”

In another set of messages sent later that month, McFadden said to Mandelson: “Lot of manoeuvring here this week. Angela, Gordon. Doesn’t feel good for Keir.”

Mandelson replied the next day: “I have spoken to Morgan a lot this week and last night I was direct with him – Keir is not leading from the front and Morgan is not organising the centre as it needs to be Gordon has it in for Keir (and Rachel) big time.”

Another exchange reveals that McFadden – the current welfare minister – said the Prime Minister “destroyed” his own authority by watering down his benefit reforms last year.

In private WhatsApp messages on 24 June, as a 120-strong Labour revolt gathered pace, McFadden said the situation was “very bad” with rebels “not moving” despite a full Cabinet effort to meet and talk around MPs.

The minister – who is now in charge of benefits as Work and Pensions Secretary – said Starmer was “meeting the ringleaders today”, adding: “I think it’s very bad.”

The i Paper understands McFadden has been working on a new attempt at welfare reform focused on work and opportunity for young people.

A spokeswoman for McFadden said: “Pat has fully complied with the Humble Address and handed over all messages.

“His only contact with Peter Mandelson since he left government has been to urge him to think about the victims in all this and apologise to them.”

‘Something out of The Thick of It’

Mandelson said the “saga” around gifting a custom red ministerial-style box to Donald Trump was like “something out of The Thick of It” – a political satire television show.

Former top foreign office official, Olly Robbins, said that a red dispatch box with “President of the United States” inscribed on it is “one of the gifts that would mean the most to the President”.

Mandelson referred to this in an email dated 28 August 2025 – less than a month before Trump arrived in the UK for a state visit.

Emailing Starmer’s former chief of staff, Morgan McSweeney, he wrote: “The saga goes on. See Olly [Robbins, former FCDO civil servant] email.

“This is like something out of Thick of it. We are now facing the red box being presented by [reaction] after [redaction] with [redaction] I have gone tonto on this.”

In April, Robbins was effectively sacked from his role at the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office after it emerged that Mandelson was appointed US ambassador despite failing security vetting.

Mandelson dismisses Streeting text about Israel as ‘hysterical’

In another exchange, Mandelson dismissed a message he received about Israel from former health secretary Wes Streeting as “hysterical”.

In messages between the ex-Labour peer and McFadden in July 2025, Mandelson said: “By way, I received a wild long hysterical message from Wes about Israel. I pushed back. I can forward but reflects pretty badly on his maturity in my view.”

In response, McFadden said: “He is very active on the MPs WhatsApp groups on this subject”.

Streeting released his own messages with the former US ambassador in February this year, including a set of messages from July 2025 seeking advice from Mandelson after French President Emmanuel Macron announced he would be formally recognising a Palestinian state.

He wrote that “morally and politically” he thought the UK should follow France’s lead.

Mandelson replied that he was “worried that such a gesture now could blow a 2 SS [two state solution] out of the water if Israel decided that unilateral recognition justified further WB [West Bank] annexation”.

Streeting replied that Israel was “doing it anyway” and that this was “rogue state behaviour”. He added: “Let them pay the price as pariahs with sanctions applied to the state, not just a few ministers.”

In September, Starmer announced the UK’s recongition of a Palestine state, with ministers highlighting the expansion of Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank as a key part of the decision.

Starmer cuts Business Secretary out of trade talks due to leak fears

Starmer cut his own Business Secretary out of trade talks between the UK and US after Peter Mandelson complained about leaks to the media, the documents reveal.

WhatsApp messages from May 2025 between the then US ambassador and Steph Driver, who was No10 director of communications, reveal Mandelson was unhappy at coverage of the ongoing talks between London and Washington. He also referred to Reynolds’ department’s press strategy as “crap”.

Driver said that No10 blocked the Department for Business, which at the time was led by Jonathan Reynolds, out of the talks due to fears over the leaks.

On 6 May, Mandelson wrote to Driver: “Hi Steph. We are reaching a critical time on trade negotiation here and it would be helpful if DBT [the Department for Business and Trade] could stop guiding papers eg FT. We want the deal when agreed to make its own impact not conditioned by pre-briefing.”

The then No10 comms chief replied: “Hi Peter. I share your view and frustration. Both SpAds [special advisers] and officials have been warned of the risks and sensitivities. We’re carefully managing the expectations of incoming, to attempt to minimise follow on.”

Driver then said the Cabinet Office had commissioned a leak inquiry but said “how effective these things are, one can rightly question”.

The next day Mandelson messaged Driver to complain about a story in the Guardian, which reported that UK officials had landed in Washington for the trade talks and that negotiators hoped to get agreement before a UK-EU summit on 19 May.

Mandelson wrote: “This is unbelievably irresponsible by DBT I assume.”

Driver replied: “I assume too. We cut DBT out of conversations today, the risk is too high.”

On 1 June, after the UK-US trade deal was agreed, Mandelson wrote to Driver: “I am worried about DBT handling of the new 50 per cent US steel and aluminium tariff. Their press lines on the 50 per cent tariff were drafted without consulting us here and were crap.”