Former British Ambassador to the United States Peter Mandelson assured the UK government it would “never regret” appointing him, according to documents released on June 1.
More than 1,500 pages relating to the appointment of Mandelson, a friend of convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, as envoy to Washington at the start of U.S. President Donald Trump’s second term were released to comply with lawmakers’ demands for transparency.
‘Super Human Skills’
“I fear that navigating Britain’s interests through the Trump administration will require super-human skills and luck and a massive team effort,” Mandelson said in the November note. His appointment was announced the following month.The first trove of files relating to the appointment, published in March, revealed that ministers had been warned that Mandelson’s friendship with Epstein exposed the government to “reputational risk.”
‘Acres’ of Redactions
Although the files released on June 1 shed some light on government discussions about the appointment, some documents have been redacted on national security grounds, while others have been withheld at the request of police investigating Mandelson for alleged misconduct in public office.The summary of his vetting process is not among the documents released, although this does not form part of the police investigation.
In a House of Commons debate on June 1, just after the release of the documents, Conservative lawmaker Alex Burghart raised the issue of the missing and redacted files, saying the apparent lack of communication between Starmer and Mandelson “beggars belief.”
Burghart said: “We know that Peter Mandelson has refused to hand over his phone—it is in the document. We know that he was asked to give over his phone on 31 March. ... He has declined to do so, and it is simply not acceptable that the government should allow this to pass without some sort of pushback.”
He later added, “There is then the matter of redactions. There are acres and acres of white space, a constellation of asterisks.”
Starmer’s Chief Secretary Darren Jones told lawmakers that the disclosure process alone had cost more than 1 million pounds (more than $1.35 million).
Jones said he understood there were questions about missing communications and redactions made on grounds other than national security, adding that his own messages with Mandelson were among those not published.
“Some messages may not have been backed up where devices may have been changed or disappearing messages turned on, for reasonable and permitted reasons, including before the dismissal of Peter Mandelson ... my messages included,” he said.
‘Reputational Risk’
The more than 100 pages of documents released in March suggested concerns were raised about the “reputational risks” of appointing Mandelson because of his friendship with Epstein, as well as his previous resignations from government and his support for closer ties with China.None of the documents released so far reveal what measures, if any, were taken to mitigate the risk of giving Mandelson the job.
The government “has no further recourse to search the personal devices of Peter Mandelson,” after he refused to hand over his phone, the latest documents state.
He was released without charge or any bail conditions as the police investigation continues.
Starmer fired Mandelson in September 2025 after an earlier release of the Epstein files showed he sent supportive messages to Epstein after the his 2008 conviction for soliciting a minor for prostitution.
Epstein was found dead in a New York prison cell in 2019 while awaiting trial on child sex trafficking charges. His death was ruled a suicide.
Starmer ‘Lacks Verve’
The documents released on June 1 include emails and text messages between Mandelson and government ministers and advisers, some discussing serious government matters, while others exchange gossip, including unflattering remarks about Starmer and other ministers“Keir is not leading from the front,” Cabinet minister Pat McFadden said in a May 2025 WhatsApp exchange with Mandelson.
Mandelson’s verdict was “Keir lacks verve.” He said that the government needed to act, “dare I say it ... in a more Trumpian risk taking and dare devil way.”
In July, he despaired that the government was “beleaguered and bereft,” and ministers don’t “really know what Keir thinks or wants.”
“In fact most of them don’t think Keir knows what he wants,” Mandelson said.
In a June 1 post on X following the release of the Mandelson documents, Burnham said: “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.”
Lawmakers will have more time to digest the files before a further House of Commons debate takes place on June 2, with Starmer expected to face further questions over the appointment.
