The mandelson files are being published today in a bundle that runs to more than 1,000 pages, including more than 160 pages of Lord Mandelson’s text messages and WhatsApps. Downing Street said the release will go on the government website at around 14:30, and Darren Jones will make a statement in Parliament afterward.
The documents cover Peter Mandelson’s appointment and his time as ambassador to Washington. The government said the first tranche in March amounted to 147 pages, making today’s publication the largest response yet to the parliamentary demand for the papers.
Downing Street’s release
The prime minister’s official spokesman said the effort involved every government department and took thousands of hours. He described it as the largest ever response to this type of demand and said the release would provide unprecedented government transparency.
The same spokesman said there will be a clear explanation of how documents were gathered and how any redactions were made. The bundle will also include an account of how officials collated the information Parliament required the government to release.
Washington embassy papers
People familiar with how the embassy in Washington works describe it as almost like a government department itself in size. That breadth points to why the release has grown so large, and why material on military and intelligence matters is likely to be redacted on national security grounds.
Government figures are braced for awkward private exchanges to become public, with many of the messages expected to show that Lord Mandelson was seen as one of the most influential powerbrokers in the Labour Party at the time. A senior figure described the fallout as “another one of those weeks.”
For readers following the papers, the immediate change is simple: the full bundle is due out today, and the public will see far more than the 147-page March tranche. Darren Jones’ statement in Parliament will be the first formal explanation of how the government assembled what it is releasing.
