Lord Mandelson to hand over personal phone messages for US ambassador appointment files
Messages between the disgraced peer and Labour ministers and advisers are set to be published by the Cabinet Office, as part of thousands of files released following his sacking from the Washington role
Lord Mandelson will be asked to hand over his personal phone as part of the government's publishing of documents related to his appointment as US ambassador.
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Messages between the disgraced peer and Labour ministers and advisers are set to be published by the Cabinet Office, as part of thousands of files released following his sacking from the Washington role.
Questions have been asked about Lord Mandelson's appointment after revelations emerged about his friendship with the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
Read more: 'Far-fetched' to suggest McSweeney phone theft linked to Mandelson file, says Prime Minister
MPs forced the government to disclose the files about his hiring after they voted in favour of a parliamentary motion brought forward by the Conservatives.
So far, officials have only had access to Mandelson's work phone, but will now ask the former ambassador for messages from his personal device.
Downing Street says the move is not connected to the theft of Morgan McSweeney's phone.
The work mobile was stolen in October, a month after Lord Mandelson was sacked, but several months before MPs demanded the publication of relevant messages.
It not clear what messages between Sir Keir Starmer's former chief-of-staff and Lord Mandelson have been lost due to the robbery.
Lord Mandelson will be asked to hand over all documents related to his appointment, including communications with ministers and McSweeney dating back to summer 2024.
Officials hope the messages on Lord Mandelson's personal phone could help fill in the gaps in any exchanges lost or not available to them.
His inbox could also show how often the ambassador was talking to figures within the Labour government and whether he influenced their decision-making, opposing politicians say.
McSweeney resigned as the PM's chief of staff after scrutiny over his role in the appointment of his close political ally Lord Mandelson.
The Cabinet Office has already published an initial set of files, which suggested that the UK's national security adviser had raised concerns about Lord Mandelson with McSweeney.
A second, much larger, tranche of documents related to Lord Mandelson's appointment will be published in the coming weeks.
Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch has called for documents regarding the theft of McSweeney's phone to be disclosed, saying there was. "something fishy is going on".
"Some people have even suggested it would be in McSweeney's interest to walk around London waving his phone around until it was stolen," she added.
On Thursday the prime minister said it was "a little bit far-fetched" to believe McSweeney could have faked the theft of his phone.
The full transcript of the call McSweeney made on October 20 last year to report his work phone had been snatched was published by the Met earlier this week.
In the call, the Starmer aide told the cops his phone was taken out of his hand by a young man riding a bike as he walked down the street.
The PM has said Lord Mandelson "lied" during the vetting process to become ambassador and believes the documents published would back up that claim.
But it was public information at the time of Lord Mandelson's appointment that he had maintained a friendship with Epstein after the financier was first convicted for soliciting prostitution with a minor.
Sir Keir was advised that Lord Mandelson's relationship with Epstein posed a "general reputational risk" ahead of his confirmation as US ambassador, Cabinet Office documents show.
Certain documents will not be published by the Cabinet Office, due to a police investigation into allegations of misconduct in public office by Lord Mandelson.
One of these includes a vetting exchange involving three questions that McSweeney asked Lord Mandelson regarding his ties to Epstein.
It is thought these questions related to his continued contact with Epstein after his first conviction for soliciting prostitution with a minor; reports that he had stayed at Epstein's home while the financier was in prison, and his association with a charity founded by Epstein associate Ghislaine Maxwell.
Lord Mandelson has not responded to requests but it is understood he denies acting in any way criminally.