UK Government Publishes Over 1,000 Pages of Documents on Lord Mandelson’s Appointment as US Ambassador

The UK government will release over 1,000 pages of documents related to Lord Mandelson's appointment and time as ambassador to Washington at approximately 14:30 on the government website. The publication will be made up of three volumes when printed and bound. More than 160 of the pages consist of Lord Mandelson's text messages and WhatsApps.

The first tranche of documents released in March amounted to 147 pages. The bundle includes a substantial explanation from the government describing the collation of information as thousands of hours of work from officials. Every government department was involved in meeting the terms of the humble address demanding documents related to Lord Mandelson's appointment.

Darren Jones, the Chief Secretary to the PM, will make a statement in Parliament following the document release. The PM's official spokesman described the response to the humble address as the largest ever. The spokesman said the document release will provide unprecedented government transparency and that there will be a clear explanation of how documents were gathered and any redactions made.

The documents will offer internal insight into how government works including private interactions, information flows and disagreements. Much of the content on military and intelligence matters will likely be redacted on national security grounds. The vetting file compiled prior to Lord Mandelson's appointment as ambassador will not be included in the documents released.

Sir Olly Robbins granted Lord Mandelson security clearance after putting mitigations in place. Concerns were raised about potential commercial conflicts of interest arising from clients of Lord Mandelson's now defunct consulting firm Global Counsel. These concerns were dealt with by the deputy head of mission in the embassy overseeing any dealings with those companies.

There is a review of corporate communications channels regarding disappearing messages in WhatsApp chats. Lord Mandelson has repeatedly stated that he believes he has not acted criminally, did not act for personal gain and is cooperating with the police. The police investigation into Lord Mandelson continues.