Second Batch of 1,500+ Mandelson Papers Released Under Parliamentary Order

A second batch of papers relating to Lord Mandelson's time as UK ambassador to the US was published on Monday. MPs voted to release the documents in February. The document release totalled more than 1,500 pages.

The files contain more than 160 pages of messages and WhatsApps between Lord Mandelson and government ministers and officials. The disclosure did not include information from Lord Mandelson's personal phone after he declined a request from officials to hand it over.

Some messages published by the government have been redacted for reasons of national security or to protect the UK's diplomatic relations.

Lord Mandelson was sacked from the job last year following revelations in the United States about the extent of his relationship with Jeffrey Epstein. Morgan McSweeney resigned following Lord Mandelson's sacking. Morgan McSweeney reported his government phone had been stolen last year.

Police say Morgan McSweeney's device has not been recovered. Morgan McSweeney has provided some of his messages to Lord Mandelson to the Cabinet Office, possibly from his personal phone. Cabinet Office Minister Nick Thomas-Symonds said his personal phone was stolen last year.

An ally has said he has shared details of the messages he could recall. The government has said Lord Mandelson was granted security clearance for the role by the Foreign Office against the recommendation of United Kingdom Security Vetting. Downing Street has said neither the prime minister nor any other government minister was aware of the UKSV recommendation against clearance at the time.

A blank template version of UKSV's vetting form was published by the Cabinet Office in the first tranche. The second batch of documents published on Thursday did not contain a copy of Lord Mandelson's vetting form. The second batch of documents did not contain a document summarising Lord Mandelson's vetting which is understood to be nine pages long.

A first tranche of documents was published in March. During due diligence checks prior to the appointment, Morgan McSweeney asked Lord Mandelson three follow-up questions about his relationship with Jeffrey Epstein. Lord Mandelson's answers to the three follow-up questions about Epstein have not been disclosed.

According to Morgan McSweeney, documents including Lord Mandelson's answers are held back at the request of the Metropolitan Police. The Metropolitan Police are investigating Lord Mandelson over allegations of misconduct in public office. Lord Mandelson has denied wrongdoing.

The BBC understands that Lord Mandelson's view is that he answered questions about his relationship with Epstein in the vetting process accurately. The UK signed a deal last year to hand over the Chagos Islands to Mauritius and pay an average of £101m ($136m) per year to lease back the Diego Garcia military base.

The Chagos Islands deal has now been shelved by the UK after the US failed to formally confirm its approval earlier this year.

On 18 January 2025, Lord Mandelson discussed US-UK relations with Lord Matthew Doyle. On 18 January 2025, Lord Mandelson said to Lord Matthew Doyle: "I am getting very worried about Chagos". The next five messages after Lord Mandelson's comment about Chagos are redacted.