Starmer to release Mandelson files

Sir Keir Starmer will publish important documents relating to his appointment of Lord Mandelson as ambassador to the US.

They are expected to include information on how the peer was vetted for the role, as well as details of any severance payment received after his sacking. The Government has not set a date for when they will be published.

The Tories had planned to use a humble address, a parliamentary mechanism, to force No 10 to publish the documents, which dozens of Labour backbench MPs had been minded to support.

Wes Streeting, the Health Secretary, confirmed on Wednesday morning that Downing Street would release the documents, meaning the Government would avoid a potential humiliation in the Commons.

The Metropolitan Police announced a criminal investigation on Tuesday after emails showed Lord Mandelson leaked sensitive government information to Jeffrey Epstein.

Lord Mandelson, who resigned from the House of Lords before he could be stripped of his peerage by Sir Keir, was Gordon Brown’s business secretary and effective deputy prime minister in 2009 and 2010 when market-sensitive messages were forwarded to the paedophile.

The leaked information, which Epstein could have used to make money, included plans for the potential sale of government land and property. 

The emails also suggest that Epstein was given advance notice of an impending EU bailout for Greece to shore up the euro.

During a Cabinet meeting on Tuesday, the Prime Minister suggested he feared more revelations were still to emerge.

Sir Keir described the passing on of emails containing “highly sensitive government business” as “disgraceful” and warned he was “not reassured that the totality of the information had yet emerged”.

Sir Keir is facing calls to sack Morgan McSweeney, his Downing Street chief of staff, for proposing Lord Mandelson as Sir Keir’s US ambassador.

The Tory motion also demanded communications and minutes of meetings between Lord Mandelson and officials, ministers and special advisers.

It went on to ask for any information that had been given to Sir Keir when he assured the Commons that “full due process” was followed for the appointment.

Sir Keir and three of his senior ministers have tabled an amendment to the original Tory motion, which will still go before the Commons on Wednesday afternoon.

This allows the Government to avoid a potential revolt amongst Labour MPs who were willing to back the Tory motion.

On Wednesday morning, Mr Streeting confirmed that the Government would publish the majority of the material rather than be forced into doing so.

Pressed on whether the Government would publish what the Tories were asking for, he told Sky News: “Yes, I think the Prime Minister’s going for maximum transparency here.

“He’s obviously drawing a line that I think people will understand and agree with, which is not releasing information where it will compromise national security and our security services, or where there may be information in there that might undermine international relations with other countries.

“But apart from those exceptions, the Prime Minister is going for real transparency here.”

Labour MPs call for McSweeney’s sacking

The scandal also increases pressure on Mr McSweeney, who played a key role in getting Lord Mandelson appointed as Britain’s ambassador.

The Telegraph has revealed new details about the past close working relationship between Mr McSweeney and Lord Mandelson, including the peer’s offer of private advice about last year’s Cabinet reshuffle that was triggered by Angela Rayner’s resignation as deputy prime minister.

It suggests the pair were in direct contact just a week before Sir Keir sacked Lord Mandelson after further evidence of his ties to Epstein emerged in the days after the reshuffle.

A No 10 source responded by saying Lord Mandelson’s advice had been “unsolicited”.

But some Left-wing Labour MPs are pressing for Mr McSweeney, who has marginalised the far Left, to be sacked. One told The Telegraph: “If he can’t be removed in circumstances like this then he’s never going to go.”

Questions over Cabinet Secretary

On Tuesday night, Mr Brown dragged Britain’s most senior civil servant into the Mandelson scandal, asking why Sir Chris Wormald, the Cabinet Secretary, had not launched his own investigation in September.

Mr Brown said in a statement that he had raised a Telegraph story with Sir Chris that revealed Epstein brokered a deal with Lord Mandelson over the sale of a banking business owned by the British taxpayer.

Addressing Mr Brown’s questions about the failure to launch an investigation into Lord Mandelson at that time, the Prime Minister’s official spokesman said Mr Brown’s letter to Sir Chris had referred only to one specific issue – the sale of a venture jointly owned by Royal Bank of Scotland. 

Only in recent days have emails emerged that appear to show Lord Mandelson passing on market-sensitive information to Epstein.

On Tuesday, Scotland Yard announced a criminal investigation into Lord Mandelson over claims he leaked market-sensitive information.

Detectives will interview the peer and are also expected to take statements from other senior Labour figures, including Mr Brown.

Commander Ella Marriott, of the Metropolitan Police, said: “Following the further release of millions of court documents in relation to Jeffrey Epstein by the US department of justice, the Met received a number of reports into alleged misconduct in public office including a referral from the UK Government.

“I can confirm that the Metropolitan Police has now launched an investigation into a 72-year-old man, a former government minister, for misconduct in public office offences.”

[Source: Daily Telegraph]