The revelations intensified after messages sent by UK Treasury Chief Secretary Darren Jones surfaced in The Spectator, despite not being included in the latest cache of Mandelson-related documents presented to Parliament earlier this week.
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and his Cabinet are reportedly bracing for more damaging leaks involving their messages to Mandelson, after he refused to hand over his phone during the disclosure process.
LEAKED MESSAGES SPARK FRESH QUESTIONS
Among the newly revealed messages is an exchange sent by Jones on September 11 last year, the day Mandelson effectively lost his position as envoy after new scrutiny over his past association with Epstein.
“You’ve been doing such a great job, and you worked wonders with Trump. I’m so sorry about today,” Jones wrote as quoted by The Daily Mail.
Other messages showed Jones expressing concerns about Labour’s economic programme and criticising senior colleagues.
After Mandelson met finance minister Rachel Reeves, he reportedly said that the government’s growth agenda rested with Reeves, Parliamentary Secretary to the Treasury Jonathan Reynolds and Angela Rayner.
Jones replied: “It doesn’t fill you with confidence.”
In another exchange, he criticised members of Reynolds’ team during discussions over the future of Port Talbot steelworks, suggesting some officials were taking positions “because that’s what the unions want”.
A further message appeared to show Jones discussing a potential Cabinet reshuffle and expressing interest in Reynolds’ role.
“Everyone fond of Jonny but perception that DBT not firing on full cylinders,” he wrote. The messages were absent from the documents presented to Parliament, increasing scrutiny over how the disclosure process was conducted.
WHO HAS THE MISSING MESSAGES?
During a Commons debate, Jones insisted there had been no attempt to withhold information.
“What I confirmed on Monday was that I have had WhatsApp exchanges with Peter Mandelson, but I have not saved them on my devices to be able to share with my principal private secretary,” he said.
“The only person who could release those messages, if they have them, would be Peter Mandelson, who has refused to disclose his phone to the process.”
The comments have intensified speculation over whether additional communications involving ministers could still emerge.
Several senior Labour figures, including Starmer and Reeves, are known to use WhatsApp’s disappearing message feature. Former chief of staff Morgan McSweeney has previously said some records were lost after his phone was stolen, while Cabinet Office minister Nick Thomas-Symonds has also reported losing access to messages after the theft of his device.
STARMER DEFENDS DISCLOSURE PROCESS
Asked about the controversy during a visit to Yorkshire, Starmer defended the government’s handling of the disclosures.
“We just had a big process in Parliament where many, many documents have been put before Parliament, probably the biggest exercise of transparency ever by any Government,” he said.
“That is open now. The material is there for everybody to see.”
Pressed on why Jones’ messages were not included, Starmer said: “Well, we went through a process, it was a transparency process, and the point of that really was to put everything before Parliament, and people can then see the material and make their minds up.”
His own disclosed exchanges with Mandelson were limited. In one message, Mandelson said that Starmer meet former prime minister John Major. Starmer later replied: “Thanks Peter. It’s so good to be getting on with the job of governing. A million times better than opposition – you know that!”
Peter Mandelson was removed as Britain’s ambassador to the US in September 2025 after Justice Department’s investigation shed new light on his relationship with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. The controversy erupted when previously unseen emails revealed that the two men had remained in contact for years, including after Epstein’s 2008 conviction. Some of the messages showed Mandelson expressing support for Epstein.
The fallout deepened when further revelation showed that Mandelson had shared sensitive government and financial information with Epstein. Additional records also indicated that payments totalling about $75,000 had been made by Epstein to accounts linked to Mandelson and his partner. Announcing his dismissal, Keir Starmer described the emails as “reprehensible” and said Mandelson had not been fully transparent about the nature of his relationship with Epstein.
Fresh leaks could place more pressure on Starmer’s administration amid lingering questions over a controversy that previously sparked a Labour revolt and nearly cost him his leadership.
– Ends
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