A new trove of Mandelson files brings more bad news for Keir Starmer

Britain's Prime Minister Keir Starmer looks on during a visit to Acorn Nursery, in Brighton, England, Tuesday May 26, 2026. (Gareth Fuller/Pool Photo via AP)

2026-06-01T09:44:05Z

LONDON (AP) — Peter Mandelson assured the British government it would “never regret” appointing him as ambassador to the United States, according to documents released on Monday, a pledge that was dramatically proven wrong within months.

More than 1,500 pages of files 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 by the government to comply with a demand by lawmakers

They shed new light on the contentious decision and heap more embarrassment on beleaguered Prime Minister Keir Starmer. Mandelson was fired after nine months, and fallout from the misjudged appointment has left Starmer fighting for his job.

Among the documents is a note from Mandelson to then-Foreign Secretary David Lammy, before his appointment, pledging that the government would “never regret” giving him the job.

“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 2024 note. His appointment was announced the following month.

Mandelson’s friendship with Epstein poses ‘reputational risk’

A first trove of files published in March revealed ministers had been warned that Mandelson’s friendship with Epstein exposed the government to “reputational risk.”

It was later disclosed that Mandelson had been approved for the ambassador’s job despite failing security checks, a revelation that sparked bitter blame-trading between Starmer and senior civil servants who oversaw the security vetting.

The files released Monday shed some light on discussions within government about the appointment, but key details remain a mystery. Some documents have been redacted on national security grounds, and others have been withheld at the request of police investigating Mandelson for alleged misconduct in public office.

It remains unclear why Mandelson failed security checks. The summary of his vetting process wasn’t among the documents released, as it is part of the police investigation. Officials have said it is not because of his ties to Epstein. A background report drawn up by officials before Mandelson was appointed, released by the government in March, flagged business ties to Russia and China as a concern, and noted his resignations from two previous Labour governments because of scandals over money and ethics.

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Also missing is any record of what measures, if any, were taken to mitigate the risk of giving Mandelson the job.

Mandelson refused to hand over information from his personal phone to officials, and the government “has no further recourse to search the personal devices of Peter Mandelson,” the documents released on Monday say.

Mandelson, 72, was briefly arrested in February by detectives investigating allegations he passed sensitive government information to Epstein when he was a minister in the British government a decade and a half ago.

He has been released without bail conditions as the police investigation continues.

Starmer fired Mandelson in September 2025 after an earlier release of documents showed he had maintained contact with Epstein after the financier’s 2008 conviction for sexual offenses involving a minor.

Critics say Starmer’s decision to appoint Mandelson is evidence of bad judgment by a prime minister who has made repeated missteps since he led the center-left Labour Party to a landslide election victory in July 2024.

Details about Mandelson’s ties to Epstein, revealed in a huge trove of files published by the U.S. Department of Justice in January, raised new questions about Starmer’s judgment, driving opponents and some Labour lawmakers to call for the prime minister’s resignation.

Those calls intensified after Labour suffered big losses in local elections in May. A senior Cabinet minister, Wes Streeting, resigned with the intention of challenging Starmer for the Labour leadership. Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham is running for a seat in Parliament in a June 18 special election and is also expected to challenge Starmer if he wins.

The documents expose some unflattering comments about Starmer

The documents include emails and text messages between Mandelson and government ministers and advisers, some discussing weighty affairs of state, others sharing gossip or unusual details.

At one point, Mandelson and other officials discussed commissioning a red dispatch box like those used by U.K. government ministers, inscribed “President of the United States” as a gift for Trump during his September 2025 state visit to the U.K. But the box was delayed by political concerns and issues at the manufacturer. Mandelson expressed his frustration with the holdup, saying officials had known about the request for months.

“And nobody had the wit to say anything,’’ Mandelson wrote to Morgan McSweeney, then Starmer’s chief of staff, on Aug. 27. “What incompetence.”

Behind closed doors, Peter Mandelson didn’t always give Starmer his full-throated support. In May 2025, Mandelson told Cabinet Minister Pat McFadden on WhatsApp that “Keir lacks verve.”

“The mantra is Plan for Change. But what is the Plan?” he wrote.

In a WhatsApp exchange with Pensions Minister Torsten Bell, Mandelson said the big picture was “messy” because the government didn’t do a good job formulating policy.

“Well, that is definitely true - everyone seems to think it’s someone else’s job to get the policy right … which is very odd,’’ Bell wrote on July 20. 2025.

“As the saying goes, rubbish in, rubbish out …,’’ Mandelson responded.

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Associated Press writers Brian Melley and Sylvia Hui in London contributed to this report.

JILL LAWLESS Lawless is based in London, covering British politics, diplomacy and culture and top stories from the UK and beyond. She has reported for the AP from two dozen countries on four continents. twitter mailto

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