'Beleaguered and bereft' - Mandelson messages reveal criticism of No 10

'Beleaguered and bereft' - Mandelson messages reveal criticism of No 10 6 hours ago Share Save Add as preferred on Google Kate Whannel Political reporter EPA Long-awaited documents published by the government have revealed messages between Lord Mandelson and ministers strongly criticising the prime minister, No 10 and Labour MPs. The 1,500 pages cover communications about the appointment of Lord Mandelson as the UK's ambassador to the US - a role he was later sacked from due to his links to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. In one message, Lord Mandelson described No 10 as "beleaguered and bereft" and in need of a "complete revamp". In another exchange, minister Pat McFadden appeared to complain about Labour backbenchers saying: "Every meeting I have is 'who can we tax in order to pay benefits to others'. They're asking the wrong questions." Chris Mason: Decision to appoint Mandelson continues to inflict damage Key messages between Mandelson and ministers so far PM was warned of 'reputational risk' over Mandelson's Epstein links At the time, McFadden was a Cabinet Office minister, however he has since become the work and pensions secretary. A spokesperson for McFadden said: "Pat has said publicly many times that the question we should ask is not what are you entitled to, but how can we change your life? "That has been his whole approach as work and pensions secretary, focusing on how we best spread work and opportunities to young people in particular, rather than writing them off as the previous government did." Responding to the documents, Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch said: "Pat McFadden has said in private what he and the prime minister deny in public. "As I've said repeatedly, Labour MPs don't understand where money comes from. They think our taxes are their money to spend, rather than the result of the hard work of the people in our country who deserve so much better." The government was forced to publish the previously private messages, following a vote by MPs in Parliament earlier this year. Speaking in the House of Commons on Monday, Cabinet Office minister Darren Jones told MPs it was "one of the largest government publications" and had cost his department more than £1m. Parts of some documents have been redacted for reasons of national security or privacy while other have been held back at the request of the Metropolitan Police, who are investigating Lord Mandelson over allegations of misconduct in public office. Lord Mandelson has denied wrongdoing. For some ministers, the published communications are limited to messages from Lord Mandelson seeking their support for his ultimately unsuccessful bid to become the chancellor of Oxford University and, later on, them congratulating him on his ambassadorial appointment. However, the published texts between Lord Mandelson and McFadden are more extensive. On 2 May 2025, Lord Mandelson said Sir Keir Starmer "lacks verve as does the Cabinet as a whole". At the time Labour had suffered