Keir Starmer is facing a Commons grilling on the Mandelson ‘cover-up’ today as he defends using self-deleting WhatsApps.
The embattled premier will run the gauntlet of PMQs amid fury at a swathe of missing evidence about his disastrous US ambassador pick.
Sir Keir barely featured in 1,500 pages of documents finally released by the Government on Monday, months after they were demanded by Parliament.
The glaring hole was partly explained when the PM’s spokesman confirmed yesterday that he has the disappearing messages function activated.
A host of other Cabinet ministers, including Rachel Reeves and David Lammy, appear to have been spared embarrassment because they also use the option on WhatsApp.
Downing Street insisted that was permitted as long as it did not affect official record keeping – but the Tories pointed out that screen shots must be kept of important exchanges.
The process of uncovering the material and redacting ‘sensitive’ details cost £1million.
The Mandelson papers gave a stark glimpse into tensions at the heart of Government, with Work and Pensions Secretary Pat McFadden at one point complaining that his own MPs just want him to find people to tax so they can hand out more benefits.
Keir Starmer will run the gauntlet of PMQs amid fury at a swathe of missing evidence about his disastrous US ambassador pick
Mandelson (pictured) and ministers were exposed in the messages as having discussed how things ‘don’t look good’ for Sir Keir
Mr McFadden also candidly admitted that Sir Keir’s authority was ‘destroyed’ by a revolt last summer that blocked welfare reforms.
No10 said the PM still has full confidence in Mr McFadden.
Mandelson and ministers were exposed in the messages as having discussed how things ‘don’t look good’ for Sir Keir.
Gordon Brown is said to ‘have it in for’ the premier and be favouring Angela Rayner, while No10 staff are branded ‘sub-optimal’.
Wes Streeting – until recently the health secretary and now a leadership hopeful – is described by Mandelson as sending a ‘wild long hysterical message’ criticising Israel.
Amid a row over the Government recognising Palestine as a state, the ambassador jibed that Mr Streeting was having an ‘early midlife crisis’ and lacked ‘maturity’.
The Labour carnage was foreshadowed by a handwritten note from Mandelson to then-Foreign Secretary Mr Lammy at the end of 2024, saying Sir Keir would ‘never regret’ appointing him as US ambassador.
It is clear the PM was not alone in wanting Mandelson for the job, as a slew of fawning ministers rushed to congratulate him personally.
Despite the scale of the document dump some key papers are still being withheld at the request of Scotland Yard, which is investigating the former peer over alleged misconduct in public office.
At least one previously reported message from Sir Keir to Mandelson saying he would be a ‘brilliant’ envoy seems to be missing.
The only significant exchange involving Sir Keir was from July 17, 2024, when Mandelson wrote: ‘I was at a dinner with John Major this evening and if you don’t know him I think good idea to invite him for a chat.
‘As well as being a very nice person, he is interesting and thoughtful. Just a thought. No need to reply.’
Responding on July 25, 2024, Sir Keir said: ‘Thanks Peter. It’s so good to be getting on with the job of governing.
‘A million times better than opposition – you know that!
‘I’ll reach out to John M, he’s a very thoughtful man. See you soon I hope. All best Keir.’
Cabinet Office minister Nick Thomas-Symonds has joined Secretary of State to the PM Darren Jones in admitting that his messages with Mandelson could not be recovered.
Like former No10 chief of staff Morgan McSweeney, Mr Thomas-Symonds’s phone is believed to have been stolen last year.
In a sign of Sir Keir’s tenuous grip on power, Yvette Cooper offered distinctly lukewarm backing yesterday.
The Foreign Secretary was grilled about the latest Mandelson revelations during a visit to Beijing.
Asked whether she recognised Mandelson’s description of Sir Keir’s approach as ‘advance, buckle, advance, buckle’, Ms Cooper said: ‘What I would say is that Peter Mandelson should never have been appointed as ambassador to the United States and, look, of course there’s been a lot of transparency now about messages being released.’
One handwritten note from Mandelson to then-Foreign Secretary David Lammy said Sir Keir would ‘never regret’ appointing him
Pressed whether she would describe Sir Keir as a strong leader, Ms Cooper said: ‘I’m in China pursuing issues around international security, which follows on from the Prime Minister’s visit here to China with President Xi earlier this year.’
There was a similarly non-committal response when Ms Cooper was challenged if the PM had her ‘full support’.
‘I work with the Prime Minister exactly on these international issues where we’ve seen the work that he’s done across the world which is about making us stronger at home, so of course I support the work he’s doing on that,’ she said.
