Embarrassing text messages about Sir Keir Starmer’s leadership are set to be released as part of over a thousands documents relating to the appointment of Lord Peter Mandelson as US ambassador.
Whatsapp messages between cabinet ministers, government advisers and the Labour peer will be published, and are said to include humiliating remarks about the prime minister.
The files will be the second largest publication to the House of Commons in history, and will reportedly include text messages between the Labour peer and cabinet ministers.
MPs voted in February to demand ministers publish a wide range of documents relating to the appointment using an archaic parliamentary procedure known as a “humble address”.
The vote followed the launch of a police investigation into Lord Mandelson and concerns about the vetting process involved in his appointment.
A first tranche of documents, released in March, showed Sir Keir Starmer was warned of a “general reputational risk” because of Lord Mandelson’s connection to the late paedophile financier Jeffrey Epstein.
Reports suggest it will not include his UK Security Vetting (UKSV) summary after the Metropolitan Police asked the government to withhold the document to avoid jeopardising its investigation into alleged misconduct in public office by the peer.
Embarrassing messages about Starmer likely to be revealed
Text messages which contain embarrassing remarks about Sir Keir Starmer are likely to be released today as part of the second tranche of Mandelson files.
More than a thousand documents relating to his appointment as UK ambassador to the US are set to be released, and contain Whatsapp messages between the Labour peer and cabinet ministers.
According to the Financial Times, the messages are expected to include frontbenchers and Lord Mandelson trading humiliating comments about the prime minister, which could further impact Sir Keir’s wavering authority,
It has also been reported that Lord Mandelson gave unsolicited advice to ministers on policy areas outside his diplomatic brief.
Labour says documents will show ‘transparent and thorough process’
A Government spokesperson said: “We are committed to complying with the humble address in full.
“The second tranche of documents will be among the largest publications ever laid in Parliament.
“That reflects the transparent and thorough process we have followed, in line with established precedent for humble addresses.”
Mandelson failed security vetting for US ambassador role over links to figures in China, Russia and Israel
Peter Mandelson failed security vetting for the US ambassador job because of his links to China, Russia and Israel, sources have confirmed.
Security services said the disgraced Labour peer should be denied clearance for the top Washington role because of his associations with China’s minister of finance, Lan Fo’an, the sanctions-hit Russian oligarch Oleg Deripaska and a former Israeli military intelligence general, Tamir Hayman, sources told The Independent.
But the decision was overridden by the Foreign Office, and he was appointed regardless.
Read the full article from our political editor David Maddox here:
New details emerge of why Mandelson failed security vetting for ambassador role
Concerns were raised over Peter Mandelson’s security vetting because of links to a Chinese finance minister, a sanctions-hit Russian oligarch and a former Israeli military intelligence generalHolly Evans1 June 2026 08:28
Health secretary says level of transparency is ‘unprecedented’
Cabinet minister James Murray said there would be an “unprecedented” volume of information given to Parliament.
Officials have compared the scale of the effort examining documents related to Lord Mandelson to the sifting and disclosure of information to the UK Covid-19 Inquiry.
Health secretary Mr Murray told Sky News: “I think the level of transparency is going to be unprecedented.
“The volume of information that’s going to be put out is unprecedented.
“It’s right we do that. We have been very clear that the appointment of Mandelson was wrong.
“Parliament then decided that this information will be made public. The Government is fully complying with that, and it’s important that we honour that commitment to transparency.”
Tories accuse Labour of ‘cover-up’ over document redactions
Last month, the committee raised concerns that the Government was applying redactions “too broadly”, and cited the UKSV vetting file as an example of documents being withheld without Parliament granting ministers the “authority” to do so.
The Conservatives have accused the Government of seeking to perpetrate a “cover-up”, with shadow minister Alex Burghart writing to the chief secretary to the Prime Minister on Sunday to demand “full transparency”.
Mr Burghart said: “I will remind you that the House did not provide the Government with the choice about redactions beyond the narrow scope in the humble address.
“This behaviour will be viewed by the House as a contempt of Parliament, and as a cover-up by the British public.
“Even if the Prime Minister leaves office in a few weeks, I can assure you we will hold you to account for this.”
Mandelson’s vetting summary document not to be included
Reports suggest the documents will not include Lord Mandelson’s UK Security Vetting (UKSV) summary after the Metropolitan Police asked the Government to withhold the document to avoid jeopardising its investigation into alleged misconduct in public office by the peer.
UKSV recommended against granting Lord Mandelson security clearance, but top Foreign Office official Sir Olly Robbins overruled that advice.
Sir Olly was effectively sacked in April after it emerged he had overruled the advice, with the Prime Minister insisting he was unaware of UKSV’s recommendation.
The Government has said it has only withheld documents where requested by the police, and all other documents will be published.
Several documents have also been redacted, either to remove personal details such as the names of junior officials, or on national security grounds.
Second tranche of documents to be published
Hundreds of documents relating to the appointment of Lord Peter Mandelson as ambassador to the US are expected to be published this week.
The release, said to be the second largest publication to the House of Commons in history, is the second tranche of documents on the peer’s appointment.
MPs voted in February to demand ministers publish a wide range of documents relating to the appointment using an archaic parliamentary procedure known as a “humble address”.
The vote followed the launch of a police investigation into Lord Mandelson and concerns about the vetting process involved in his appointment.
A first tranche of documents, released in March, showed Sir Keir Starmer was warned of a “general reputational risk” because of Lord Mandelson’s connection to the late paedophile financier Jeffrey Epstein.
The second set of documents is expected to include messages between Lord Mandelson and ministers and Government advisers, including Sir Keir’s former chief of staff Morgan McSweeney.
Holly Evans1 June 2026 07:44