UK Government Releases 1,500 Pages of Documents on Peter Mandelson’s Appointment as US Ambassador

U.K. ambassador to the United States. The documents were published to comply with a demand by lawmakers and include internal emails, background reports, and correspondence from late 2024.

Mandelson wrote to then Foreign Secretary David Lammy in November 2024 that the government would “never regret” giving him the post. S. trade deal was announced in May 2025. K.

-Israeli strikes during the Iran war. Some elements of the trade agreement remain incomplete. The files show that Mandelson was approved for the ambassador’s job despite failing security checks. ” A background report prepared before the appointment flagged Mandelson’s business ties to Russia and China as a concern.

It remains unclear why he failed the security checks. The summary of the vetting was withheld because it forms part of an ongoing police investigation into alleged misconduct in public office. Officials have stated that ties to Jeffrey Epstein are not the reason for the failure.

Mandelson, 72, refused to hand over information from his personal phone. ” He was briefly arrested in February by detectives investigating allegations that he passed sensitive government information to Epstein when he was a Cabinet minister more than 15 years ago. He was released without bail conditions and the investigation continues.

Starmer fired Mandelson after nine months when further details of the relationship emerged. ” Behind closed doors, Mandelson did not always express full support for Starmer. ” In July he wrote that the government was “beleaguered and bereft” and that ministers “don’t really know what Keir thinks or wants.

Starmer visited Acorn Nursery in Brighton, England, on Tuesday, May 26, 2026. He visited a children’s activity centre in Essex, England, on Thursday, May 21, 2026. Mandelson was photographed walking past the Ministry for Health in London on Thursday, May 14, 2026.