SNP Urges Ethics Adviser to Review Unreported Ministerial Meeting

The meeting took place in summer 2024 shortly after the minister's appointment as trade minister and was not added to public transparency logs until March 2025. UK law requires ministers to report meetings with lobbyists every three months.

Background on the Meeting Newly released government files show the minister exchanged messages with Mandelson about arranging the meeting, which was conducted as an online call with a Global Counsel employee. Civil servants attended and the meeting was formally minuted.

The Department for Business and Trade stated the omission from the public record was an administrative error corrected in March 2025. A note on the government website describes the log entry as previously omitted in error.

Westminster leader Dave Doogan wrote to Sir Laurie Magnus requesting an urgent investigation into the minister's dealings with Mandelson and Global Counsel, including any subsequent meetings or decisions. The letter cited the firm's reported links to Chinese state organisations and sanction-hit Russian oligarchs.

Transparency International UK shared evidence with BBC News indicating the public record was updated on 25 March 2025, after Parliament ordered publication of Mandelson's contacts with ministers on 4 February 2025. A spokesperson for the Department for Business and Trade said the department takes its transparency responsibilities seriously.

The government published more than 1,000 pages of documents relating to Mandelson's appointment on Monday.