Mandelson messages criticize Starmer and No 10

Long-awaited government documents have revealed messages in which Lord Mandelson and ministers sharply criticized Prime Minister Keir Starmer, No 10 and Labour MPs.

The 1,500 pages cover communications about Lord Mandelson's appointment as UK ambassador to the United States. He was later sacked from the post over his links to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

In one message, Lord Mandelson described No 10 as "beleaguered and bereft" and said it needed a "complete revamp." In another exchange, Cabinet Office minister Pat McFadden appeared to complain about Labour backbenchers, saying: "Every meeting I have is 'who can we tax in order to pay benefits to others'. They're asking the wrong questions."

McFadden has since become work and pensions secretary. A spokesperson for him said he has repeatedly argued that the question should be how to change people's lives rather than what they are entitled to.

Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch said McFadden had said in private what he and the prime minister deny in public. She added that Labour MPs do not understand where money comes from.

The government published the messages after MPs voted earlier this year to force their release. Cabinet Office minister Darren Jones told the Commons on Monday that the publication was one of the largest by any government and had cost his department more than £1 million.

Some documents were redacted for national security or privacy reasons. Others were withheld at the request of the Metropolitan Police, which is investigating Lord Mandelson over allegations of misconduct in public office. He has denied wrongdoing.

The published texts between Lord Mandelson and McFadden are more extensive than those with other ministers. On 2 May 2025, Lord Mandelson said Sir Keir Starmer "lacks verve as does the Cabinet as a whole." At the time, Labour had suffered heavy defeats in local elections and lost the Runcorn and Helsby by-election.

On 3 May, McFadden wrote: "Awful feeling today. What a shellacking. I hope this hurts and worries others as much as it does me."

In late June 2025, the two men exchanged messages about the government's welfare legislation, which aimed to cut £5 billion from the benefits bill by 2030. A major rebellion by Labour MPs forced the government to water down its proposals.

In the run-up to the vote, McFadden said MPs were "not moving." Lord Mandelson replied that the government could lose the vote, adding: "I am not sure that Keir survives that." McFadden said defeat, pulling the bill or gutting it would all destroy the prime minister's authority.

A few weeks later they discussed Morgan McSweeney, then the prime minister's chief of staff. Lord Mandelson said McSweeney had told him he had no faith in Starmer's ability to change No 10 and that the prime minister needed to prioritize winning support in the parliamentary party instead. Lord Mandelson added: "I am slightly losing faith in all this."

Three days later Lord Mandelson asked McFadden how No 10 was faring. McFadden replied: "Not good," and said advisers had told him they did not know what they wanted. Lord Mandelson said: "If they don't explain what they want very clearly what is Keir supposed to do? Rubbish in, rubbish out. You need the sort of status and remit that I had with GB [Gordon Brown]."

On 30 July, Lord Mandelson said senior staff in No 10 "don't work as a team, they are not led and none of them really know what Keir thinks or wants. In fact most of them don't think Keir knows what he wants." He later described Downing Street as "beleaguered and bereft," adding that it required a complete revamp and infusion of purpose and confidence.

Around the same time, Lord Mandelson messaged Treasury minister Torsten Bell that the government does not do policy well enough. Bell replied that everyone seemed to think it was someone else's job to get policy right.

The prime minister announced Lord Mandelson's appointment as ambassador on 20 December 2024. In a handwritten note a month earlier, Lord Mandelson told then-foreign secretary David Lammy that if appointed he would make sure Lammy never regretted it.

An ally of minister Nick Thomas-Symonds said he had complied fully with the order to publish messages, all of which predated Lord Mandelson taking up the post.