Lord Peter Mandelson declined to comply with a government request to hand over his WhatsApp messages and other personal phone information concerning his appointment as US ambassador. According to a note on the methodology, the government had written to Lord Mandelson’s solicitors to request information held on his personal phone, but this request was denied.
The revelation comes as thousands of documents and messages detailing Lord Mandelson's appointment and activities as US ambassador have been published by the Government, which Downing Street described as an "unprecedented piece of Government transparency." The House of Commons ordered the publication of these documents following revelations about Lord Mandelson's ties to paedophile financier Jeffrey Epstein.
Lord Mandelson was sacked from the ambassadorial role in September 2025, nine months into his term, after further details emerged about his friendship with Epstein, which subsequently led to a Metropolitan Police investigation. The full Mandelson files have now been released, with some suggesting that Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer faces potential humiliation as secret WhatsApp messages become public.
