Mandelson Criticised Keir Starmer and Number 10 Advisers in Published US Ambassador Documents
More than 1,000 pages of government documents, relating to Lord Mandelson's appointment as the UK's ambassador to the United States, have been released. These papers include candid exchanges between Lord Mandelson and various ministers, offering insights into his views on government figures and policy directions.
Mandelson's Critiques of Starmer and Number 10
In a message dated 2 May 2025, Lord Mandelson informed Pat McFadden, then a Cabinet Office minister, that "Keir lacks verve as does the Cabinet as a whole." Later that July, further communications between the two revealed Lord Mandelson's assessment of Number 10 advisers, stating they were competent but "they don't work as a team, they are not led and none of them really know what Keir thinks or wants." He added that "most of them don't think Keir knows what he wants."
Lord Mandelson also observed a trend of policy shifts from Keir Starmer. In a subsequent message to McFadden that same month, he noted, "I have a feeling that Keir is now consistently going for direction B. His recanting on his immigration speech, on welfare, now Gaza." This, he suggested, indicated a "'let Keir be Keir' trend," which former aide Morgan McSweeney reportedly saw as a repeated cycle of "advance/buckle/advance/buckle."
After visiting Downing Street, Lord Mandelson described it as "beleaguered and bereft," asserting it required a "complete revamp and infusion of purpose and confidence to get anywhere."
McFadden's Welfare Spending Concerns
In the same exchanges, Mr McFadden expressed his frustration with Labour's approach to welfare and public spending. He wrote to Lord Mandelson, "Every meeting I have is 'who can we tax in order to pay benefits to others'. They're asking the wrong questions." Allies of Mr McFadden clarified that these remarks predated his tenure as Work and Pensions Secretary, when he was in charge of the Cabinet Office. A spokesperson for Mr McFadden confirmed his full compliance with the Humble Address, stating his only contact with Lord Mandelson since leaving government was to urge an apology to victims.
Presidential Gift and AI Advice
The documents also detail discussions about commissioning an official government "red box" as a gift for US President Donald Trump. Lord Mandelson described the logistical complications to Number 10 chief of staff Morgan McSweeney as if he'd "gone tonto" and the "saga" as akin to a "Thick of It" episode. Sir Olly Robbins, then the Foreign Office's top official, suggested a red dispatch box with "President of the United States" inscribed could be a meaningful gift.
In February 2025, Lord Mandelson advised then-technology secretary Peter Kyle to include "more positive language about AI" in a speech at an international security conference. Mr Kyle replied, "That's all v good advice which I'll action. Thank you." Six days later, Mr Kyle delivered a speech at the Munich Security Conference, stating, "in the UK, we reject the doomsayers and the pessimists" regarding artificial intelligence.
Before his ambassadorship, Lord Mandelson also lobbied Oxford alumni among Labour ministers for the largely ceremonial role of Oxford University Chancellor in 2024, but he was ultimately unsuccessful, losing to William Hague.
