What the Mandelson files mean for the Labour leadership race

The damaging revelations contained in the latest tranche of the Lord Mandelson files further strengthen Andy Burnham’s claim to the Labour leadership, MPs have claimed.

It comes as the Greater Manchester Mayor said the document dump showed that a culture change in the heart of Westminster “can’t come soon enough”, in what will be viewed by his supporters as another direct threat to Sir Keir Starmer.

Thousands of documents released by the Cabinet Office on Monday laid bare how deeply ingrained the disgraced peer was with the Labour Government before he was forced to resign over his links to the convicted paedophile Jeffrey Epstein. They also suggest that several ministers had begun to lose faith in Starmer’s leadership almost a year ago.

Burnham, who is fighting a by-election in a bid to stage a return to Westminster and challenge the Prime Minister, said the revelations will “further damage people’s confidence in our political system”.

He added: “When I left Westminster 10 years ago, I did so in the belief that it needed fundamental culture change. I remain of that view and believe that change can’t come soon enough.”

Labour MPs are deeply concerned that the Mandelson scandal will prove difficult to move on from, and Burnham’s supporters were quick to claim that he would offer a clean slate should he win the Makerfield by-election.

“It would appear that Peter Mandelson was holding court with senior Government ministers while being highly critical; some seemed to take his advice,” one Labour MP said. “What it has shown is that there has to be a complete fresh start with a new leader who has not been embroiled in this dark chapter in Labour’s story.

The MP added: “It is time for a completely different approach to government, driven by the people in our communities. Andy Burnham offers this fresh start.”

The files reveal the strength of relationships Mandelson maintained with several Cabinet members both before and after he was appointed as UK ambassador to the US, as well as the likes of Wes Streeting, who is poised to launch his own leadership challenge against Starmer.

Another MP supportive of Burnham’s return to Parliament said the latest tranche of documents played into the Manchester Mayor’s hands and to the detriment of Streeting.

“It’s very handy for him [Burnham],” the backbencher said. “Wes is implicated quite heavily as well.”

A separate MP said the ongoing fallout from the decision to appoint Mandelson to Washington would not go away without a major change in direction in terms of leaders.

“This all proves that a north London inner clique were all promoted to ministerial office,” a backbencher said.

“The Mandelson stuff is all a big stink that will keep coming back without a reset of the highest order.”

But others were doubtful that the party could move on at all from the debacle, with one MP telling The i Paper: “It’s a fundamental issue with what the Labour Party has become.”

Starmer sacked Mandelson in September last year after growing pressure to remove him from office following leaked emails that showed the peer sent supportive messages to Epstein even after he was convicted for sex offences.