Keir Starmer has admitted using disappearing WhatsApps amid fury at ‘missing’ evidence in the Mandelson files.
The PM’s spokesman confirmed that he has the function activated after questions over a glaring hole in the huge data dump yesterday.
Sir Keir barely featured in 1,500 pages of documents about his disastrous decision to appoint Peter Mandelson as US ambassador.
Downing Street insisted this afternoon that the premier had fully complied with Parliament’s ‘humble address’ ordering the disclosure of all messages exchanged with the New Labour architect.
The spokesman said disappearing WhatsApps were permitted as long as they did not interfere with official record keeping – but Labour criticised the Tories for using the function during Covid.
The situation emerged after Sir Keir convened an awkward meeting of his Cabinet amid the fallout.
The 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.
Mr McFadden – who grinned sheepishly as he arrived for the meeting this morning – 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.
Keir Starmer – pictured welcoming the President of Ghana to No10 this morning – has yet to make any comment about the huge dump of messages exchanged between ministers, aides and Mandelson
The papers gave a stark glimpse into tensions at the heart of Government, with Work and Pensions Secretary Pat McFadden (pictured) at one point complaining that his own MPs just want him to find people to tax so they can hand out more benefits
Ed Miliband (right) was also at the Cabinet meeting today, after being subject to jibes in the Mandelson messages released yesterday
The PM will gather ministers in Downing Street amid the fallout from 1,500 pages of evidence about Mandelson’s (pictured) disastrous appointment as US ambassador
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 mid life crisis’ and lacked ‘maturity’.
The Labour carnage was foreshadowed by a handwritten note from Mandelson to then-Foreign Secretary David 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.
And there have been a swathe of redactions, carried out at a cost of £1million. 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.’
Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper, on a visit to Beijing, gave distinctly lukewarm backing to the PM as she spoke to reporters this morning.
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.’
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.
Earlier, Cabinet Office minister Nick Thomas-Symonds joined Secretary of State to the PM Darren Jones in admitting that his messages with Mandelson could not be recovered.
One handwritten note from Mandelson to then-Foreign Secretary David Lammy said Sir Keir would ‘never regret’ appointing him
Like former No10 chief of staff Morgan McSweeney, Mr Thomas-Symonds’ phone is believed to have been stolen last year.
Mr Thomas-Symonds was dispatched to broadcast studios this morning to field questions on the extraordinary revelations in the papers.
He told Times Radio that Mr McFadden is a ‘diligent, committed minister’ and his views on social security and welfare were ‘very well known and consistent’.
Mr Thomas-Symonds said: ‘Pat’s view has always been that it is not about benefits, that is not where the debate should be. The debate should be about opportunity, and indeed that is what he has been working on.’
