The “embarrassing” tranche of messages between Peter Mandelson and Pat McFadden is proof the government is being “open and transparent”, a government minister has said.
In response to a suggestion from Lord Mandelson that the Parliamentary Labour Party was “mutinous”, work and pensions secretary McFadden said: “Yes. Every meeting I have is ‘who can we tax in order to pay benefits to others’. They’re asking the wrong questions.”
However, Cabinet Office minister Nick Thomas-Symonds insisted Mr McFadden has “always been very consistent” on welfare and added the messages are “an indication of the government's determination to comply with this humble address”.
"You have got what are - frankly, not just here, but more generally - messages that are embarrassing,” he told BBC Breakfast. “They're things that people said perhaps out of frustration, however it may be privately, that they never expected to be made public.
"But the reason they are public is because the government is being open and transparent.”
Sir Keir Starmer will chair a Cabinet meeting on Tuesday after the newly-released messages between Lord Mandelson and ministers revealed harsh criticism of his premiership.
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Key Points
- Mandelson and Streeting dined with top Murdoch execs days before election
- Mandelson says government would 'never regret' appointing him to Washington role
- Mandelson refused to hand over Whatsapp messages
- Mandelson told ministers to behave in a more ‘Trumpian’ way to beat Reform
Farage compares death of Henry Nowak to George Floyd
08:25 , Athena StavrouNigel Farage has just delivered an address in which he criticised the police response to the murder of Henry Nowak.
Nowak, 18, was handcuffed by police while he lay dying after the man who stabbed him told police he had racially abused him.
Mr Farage accused the police of treating an accusation of a racial slurs more seriously than an act of murder.
Referring to the body cam footage, Mr Farage said: “What does he say? I can't breathe. Familiar words.”
The same words were said by George Floyd, whose death sparked the Black Lives Matter movement after he was killed by police in the US.
“Remember the reaction to that, and the way the police behaved within a few days. Keir Starmer was taking the knee. Black Lives Matter exploded all over the country,” Mr Farage said.
Accusing politicians of being “silent” on Mr Nowak’s death, Mr Farage added: “Proof if ever there was any, that we're living in a two-tier culture in this country where the rights and privileges of white people matter less than those of ethnic minorities.”
‘Embarrassing’ Pat McFadden messages proof of government’s transparency, minister says
07:53 , Joe MiddletonA government minister has said the “embarrassing” tranche of messages between Peter Mandelson and Pat McFadden is proof the government is being “open and transparent”.
Cabinet Office minister Nick Thomas-Symonds sought to defend the work and pensions minister after a series of his messages with the former Labour peer revealed harsh criticism of the prime minister and Labour MPs.
Mr Thomas-Symonds insisted Mr McFadden has “always been very consistent” on welfare and added the messages are “an indication of the government's determination to comply with this humble address”.
"You have got what are - frankly, not just here, but more generally - messages that are embarrassing,” he told BBC Breakfast.
“They're things that people said perhaps out of frustration, however it may be privately, that they never expected to be made public.
"But the reason they are public is because the government is being open and transparent.”
Minister describes phone being stolen ahead of Mandelson file release
07:48 , Joe MiddletonA government minister has said he had his phone stolen last year, meaning some WhatsApp’s between himself and Peter Mandelson were lost.
Cabinet Office minister Nick Thomas-Symonds said his personal phone was stolen on October 15 2025, as he was walking home from a dinner on Marsham Street.
He said three people on mopeds swiped his phone, which he reported to the Metropolitan Police.
He told Sky News that he told the humble address team that messages would have included Mandelson and himself congratulating each other on respective appointments, and the former Labour peer campaigning to be Chancellor of Oxford University.
Everything we know about the Mandelson files so far
07:47 , Joe MiddletonThe second tranche of the Mandelson files dropped on Monday afternoon.
Our journalists have combed through hundreds of pages of documents, emails, and WhatsApp messages. Here is what we know:
The documents show that Lord Peter Mandelson was told it was only necessary to provide information on his current friendships with foreign nationals during his vetting process.
He also told David Lammy a month before his appointment that the government would “never regret” making him ambassador.
The ex-Labour peer “declined to comply” with a request to hand over his WhatsApp messages and other information on his personal phone to the government.
However, messages he exchanged with ministers reveal several criticisms he had of the government and its leader Keir Starmer.
Some of those include Mandelson warning Starmer's Downing Street operation was “beleaguered and bereft”, and, in separate messages, speculating that the prime minister may not survive a welfare rebellion.
The then-ambassador to the US also said Pat McFadden was “not a power house”, admitted he was “very worried” about the Chagos deal, and accused Wes Streeting of having “early mid life crisis”.
Mandelson also told ministers to behave in a more “Trumpian risk taking and dare devil way” in the aftermath of Labour’s loss to Reform in the Runcorn by-election.
Cabinet ministers have also been dragged into the spotlight, with messaging revealing McFadden told Mandelson that Labour MPs only ask “who can we tax in order to pay benefits to others”.
Mandelson discussed a story written by The Independent's Political Editor David Maddox with the then comms chief Matthew Doyle.
The pair discussed Maddox's reporting on WhatsApp after he published a story saying that Donald Trump is threatening to reject Lord Mandelson's appointment as US ambassador unless the British government accepts serious restrictions on his activities.
McFadden was 'having a b**** privately', says senior Labour MP
07:47 , Joe MiddletonPat McFadden should not be sacked for his comments about Keir Starmer, Dame Emily Thornberry has said.
The senior Labour MP said the work and pensions minister was “having a b**** privately”.
She told Sky News: “Whether it’s OK or not, it is the sort of thing human beings do. They complain about their bosses, they complain about decisions being made, they complain about when they don’t feel they’re being listened to.”
Labour MP John McDonnell told Times Radio that Mr McFadden should consider resigning from the cabinet because he has been “disloyal” to the prime minister.
Several damaging messages between Mr McFadden and Lord Mandelson were released, some of which had disparaged the prime minister.
Key takeaways from explosive Mandelson WhatsApp messages
05:00 , Harriette BoucherFull story: Humiliation for Starmer as Mandelson files reveal government by WhatsApp
04:00 , Harriette BoucherThe prime minister is facing fresh humiliation after the latest tranche of Mandelson files was published on Monday, revealing both in-fighting among ministers and profound criticism of Sir Keir Starmer’s administration.
The publication of more than 1,000 pages of messages relating to the appointment of Peter Mandelson as Britain’s ambassador to the US reveals his damning opinion of the government, with the disgraced peer saying that the prime minister “lacks verve” and warning that his Downing Street operation is “beleaguered and bereft”.
The release lays bare the extent to which government is conducted by WhatsApp and includes thousands of previously private messages exchanged between figures at the heart of government, revealing Lord Mandelson repeatedly offered unsolicited advice to ministers, derided colleagues and criticised the actions of the government.
Lord Mandelson, however, apparently “declined to comply” with a request to hand over his personal phone and allow the government to publish WhatsApp messages and other information related to his appointment, the documents showed.
Meanwhile, in a statement to the Commons, chief secretary to the prime minister Darren Jones confirmed that questions put to Lord Mandelson during the vetting process were being withheld at the request of the Metropolitan Police, among a huge amount of redactions.
Humiliation for Starmer as Mandelson files reveal government by WhatsApp
Full timeline of Mandelson ambassador appointment scandal as latest files released
03:00 , Harriette Boucher
Full timeline of Mandelson ambassador appointment scandal as latest files released
MPs denied chance to scrutinise Mandelson files, shadow cabinet minister says
02:00 , Harriette BoucherThe shadow cabinet minister has accused the government of a lack of transparency over documents not included in the release of the Mandelson files.
Alex Burghart told the Commons the government was denying MPs the ability to scrutinise the documents, saying “very few” were able to see the files before the debate.
He added: “Although we have a huge number of documents, it is clear that very many are missing.
“Some have been withheld, some have been lost, and it’s clear that some have probably been destroyed.
“Because of the approach that the government is taking, however, it is impossible for members to know which documents fall into which category.
“We know there is no good legal basis for the government to disclose to this House which documents are being withheld. The government should tell us.
“Again, this is obfuscation; this is an unnecessary attempt to defer scrutiny or deny it.”
Now we know exactly how little Mandelson thought of Starmer – ‘rubbish in, rubbish out’
01:00 , Harriette BoucherUnelected and unaccountable, the former US ambassador and ‘party stirrer’ nonetheless took it upon himself to make all party business his own, waspishly whittling away at Starmer’s authority – which makes the PM’s appointment of him all the more bone-headed, says Sean O’Grady:
Now we know exactly how little Mandelson thought of Starmer
No 'cosy' messages between Mandelson and Starmer because they 'didn't get on'
Tuesday 2 June 2026 00:00 , Harriette BoucherThere were no “cosy” messages between Peter Mandelson and Keir Starmer because they “didn’t get on”, Emily Thornberry has suggested.
It comes amid skepticism over a lack of messages between the two in the documents released on Monday.
The Labour MP told Sky New that Starmer’s absence showed the extent of influence that Morgan McSweeney had.
“He wants to give his mentor the last big job, and he just went for it and pushed everybody else out the way, all objections out the way”.
Important questions about Mandelson still unanswered, senior Labour MP says
Monday 1 June 2026 23:05 , Harriette BoucherDame Emily Thornberry said key questions were yet to be answered following the latest release of the Mandelson files.
The senior Labour MP said she it is still unclear how the disgraced former ambassador got his job and was afraid the saga was “going to run and run”.
She told The Cathy Newman Show on Sky News: "I want to know how he got the job.
“I haven't had those, and they're the important things. What did the vetting mean? In order to get around the vetting, what did people agree to do? Or did they not? Or did they just decide to look the other way?”
She added: “I think we need to wait for the third lot of papers that will come from the police.
“Once the police have finished their investigation, at that stage, I will be saying 'have you answered my question yet? Why did he get the job.”
The 14-word exchange in the Mandelson files that could destroy Labour for a decade
Monday 1 June 2026 21:55 , Harriette BoucherThe former Labour peer’s 4am messages contain damning disclosures that could haunt Labour for years to come, argues Simon Walters
The 14-word exchange in the Mandelson files that could destroy Labour for a decade
Cabinet minister's messages with Mandelson missing after phone theft
Monday 1 June 2026 20:52 , Harriette BoucherAnother senior Labour member was unable to hand over his messages with Lord Peter Mandelson because his personal phone was stolen.
Cabinet minister Nick Thomas-Symonds’ WhatsApp exchanges with Lord Mandelson from 2024 were kept on the personal phone and were lost when it was stolen.
His phone was nicked on 15 October last year, and he reported it to the Cabinet Office security team and police the same day, it is understood.
The minister explained the messages he could recall and did not exchange any messages with Lord Mandelson on his work phone.
Mr Thomas-Symonds, who is also the EU relations minister, met Lord Mandelson in January 2025 for a meeting.
The details of the meeting were released in the form of official minutes, which say they discussed next steps for the planned EU reset.
It comes after Keir Starmer’s chief of staff, Morgan McSweeney, was unable to share his messages after his phone was also stolen.
A Metropolitan Police spokesperson: “We were called Wednesday, 15 October at around 23:25hrs, with a man reporting his phone had been stolen by three people on bikes. The incident took place around half an hour earlier on Marsham Street, Westminster.
“Officers made initial enquiries, but the case was closed after no suspects could be identified.”
Labour MP says McFadden should consider resignation
Monday 1 June 2026 20:20 , Harriette BoucherPat McFadden should consider resigning from the cabinet because he has been “disloyal” to the prime minister, Labour MP John McDonnell has said.
Mr McDonnell, who was shadow chancellor under Jeremy Corbyn, told Times Radio: “It looks as though Pat McFadden was Peter Mandelson’s person in cabinet. He was almost the representative of Peter Mandelson within government itself, feeding information to him, exchanging derogratoary remarks about Keir himself and Keir’s style of government.”
He said: “If I was Keir, I’d be asking Pat to consider his position,” as he questioned whether “Keir can have any confidence in him for the future.
“I would expect Pat himself to think himself about whether he should continue in his role because he’s clearly not been loyal, in fact quite disloyal, to the very person who’s appointed him.”
Mandelson and Streeting dined with top Murdoch execs days before election, files show
Monday 1 June 2026 19:57 , Harriette BoucherWes Streeting and Lord Peter Mandelson had dinner with members of the Murdoch empire in July 2024, just days before the election.
The latest tranche of documents released by the government on Monday show messages between the two, in which Lord Mandelson says: “Message from Rebekah [Brooks, CEO of News UK] that Lachlan [Murdoch] really enjoyed the dinner and that they all thought everyone in great form and it felt like a genuine team spirit.”
Lachlan Murdoch is the CEO of Fox Corporation and son of Rupert Murdoch.
Mr Streeting responds: "The highlight of the evening was you pulling out the Times [newspaper] app and ribbing Tony [Gallagher, editor of The Times]".
“These people have to be kept on their toes,” Lord Mandelson says.
The former health secretary then praised Lord Mandelson, saying “it was masterfully done.”
An ally of Wes Streeting told the BBC: "During the election campaign, at the request of Keir’s office, Wes met with the editors of the Guardian, the Sun and Times, to win their endorsements for Labour. He is proud of the part he played in booting the Tories out and getting a Labour government elected."
McFadden appears to address comments about benefits released in Mandelson files
Monday 1 June 2026 19:44 , Harriette BoucherPat McFadden has seemingly addressed his comments to Lord Peter Mandelson, in which he said Labour MPs only ask “who can we tax in order to pay benefits to others”
In a post on X, the work and pensions minister wrote: “As I often say in interviews and in the department, ‘we have to change the question the system asks from ‘what benefits are you entitled to’ to ‘how do we help you change your life’.”
Documents released today showed messages to Lord Mandelson accusing Labour MPs of focusing on “who we can tax”.
Criticising the Parliamentary Labour Party (PLP), McFadden said: “Every meeting I have is 'who can we tax in order to pay benefits to others'. They’re asking the wrong questions.”
How I ended up in the Mandelson files
Monday 1 June 2026 19:32 , Harriette BoucherPolitical editor David Maddox discusses being named in exchanges involving Peter Mandelson and how The Independent’s stories have embarrassed the government:
How I ended up in the Mandelson files
Key takeaways from explosive Mandelson WhatsApp messages
Monday 1 June 2026 19:24 , Harriette BoucherEverything we know about the Mandelson files so far
Monday 1 June 2026 19:10 , Harriette Boucher
The key takeaways in latest release of Mandelson files
Mandelson was 'operating in the shadows', says Starmer's ex-comms adviser
Monday 1 June 2026 18:45 , Harriette BoucherKeir Starmer’s former communications adviser does not believe the latest tranche of Mandelson documents will make things worse for the prime minister.
James Lyons said the documents revealed the former Labour peer was ‘clearly operating in the shadows.
He told Sky News: “We've all seen how large the files are... it's going to take a long time to go through all of them.
“So far, I don't think we've seen anything of the higher end of expectations."
Mr Lyons said Pat McFadden, involved in some of the damaging messages released today, was one of the “safest pair of hands in government”.
He added: “I'm sure he will be far from delighted that this change has come to light,.
“Partly because Labour's opponents will be seizing on it as evidence that they want to tax... he's been trying to rebuild the Labour case for welfare and this just makes that much harder.”
