Peter Mandelson files released by the UK government after demand from MPs

Thousands of documents and messages giving details of Peter Mandelson’s appointment and activities as ambassador to the US have been published by the UK government.

The disclosure of the files, including internal emails and WhatsApp messages, is an “unprecedented piece of Government transparency”, Downing Street said.

The release includes previously classified documents and personal WhatsApp messages exchanged by the former ambassador with senior figures in the UK government.

The documents were ordered to be published by the House of Commons in the wake of revelations about Mandelson’s ties to paedophile financier Jeffrey Epstein.

It is the second batch of files relating to Keir Starmer’s ill-fated decision to give the prestigious Washington post to Mandelson rather than a career diplomat.

The peer was sacked in September 2025 just nine months into the job when more details emerged about his friendship with Epstein.

Subsequent revelations in the Epstein Files led to a Metropolitan Police investigation into alleged misconduct in public office.

No 10 indicated the release of documents was everything it planned to publish on Mandelson, apart from files held back at the request of Scotland Yard to avoid jeopardising its investigation.