Five questions left unanswered by the Mandelson files

A 2nd batch of papers relating to Lord Mandelson's clip arsenic UK ambassador to the US was published connected Monday.

It comes aft MPs voted to merchandise the documents successful February, aiming to uncover behind-the scenes-discussions astir however helium was appointed to the role.

The adjacent was sacked from the occupation past twelvemonth by Sir Keir Starmer pursuing revelations successful the United States astir the grade of his narration with the precocious convicted enactment offender Jeffrey Epstein.

The papers merchandise totalled much than 1,500 pages. But immoderate questions astir the assignment stay unanswered.

What messages haven't we seen?

The files incorporate much than 160 pages of messages and WhatsApps betwixt Lord Mandelson and authorities ministers and officials.

But the disclosure did not see accusation from the peer's idiosyncratic phone, aft helium declined a petition from officials to manus it over.

We tin spot six messages betwixt Lord Mandelson and Sir Keir successful 2 little exchanges, wherever they sermon campaigning successful Bury successful the run-up to the wide predetermination and praise erstwhile Conservative premier curate John Major.

On Tuesday, Downing Street confirmed the premier curate uses the disappearing messages relation connected his phone, and refused to accidental whether Sir Keir deleted messages that could person appeared successful the documents published yesterday.

The PM's spokesperson said the usage of the relation was permitted arsenic agelong arsenic it does not interaction "record-keeping oregon transparency", and Sir Keir had handed implicit each applicable communications disposable to him.

We person not seen messages from Morgan McSweeney, Sir Keir Starmer's erstwhile main of staff, who resigned pursuing Lord Mandelson's sacking aft mounting scrutiny implicit his relation successful pushing for the peer's appointment.

McSweeney reported his authorities telephone had been stolen past year, and constabulary accidental the instrumentality has not been recovered.

That means McSweeney has not been capable to supply each his messages, though it is understood helium has provided immoderate of his messages to Lord Mandelson to the Cabinet Office, perchance from his idiosyncratic phone.

Cabinet Office Minister Nick Thomas-Symonds has besides said his idiosyncratic telephone was stolen past year. He says the instrumentality would person besides contained messages with the peer. An state has said helium has shared details of the messages helium could recall.

Some messages published by the authorities person been redacted for reasons of nationalist security, oregon to support the UK's diplomatic relations, truthful we don't cognize what those messages say.

Why did vetting officials urge against clearance?

The authorities has said Lord Mandelson was granted information clearance for the relation by the Foreign Office, against the proposal of United Kingdom Security Vetting (UKSV), which vetted him for the role.

Downing Street has said neither the premier curate nor immoderate different authorities curate was alert of this astatine the time.

We had already seen a blank template mentation of UKSV's vetting form, published by the Cabinet Office, showing 3 tick boxes - green, amber and reddish - wherever officials tin grounds their presumption connected whether clearance should beryllium given.

But the 2nd batch of documents published connected Thursday did not incorporate a transcript of Lord Mandelson's vetting form.

Nor did it incorporate a papers summarising his vetting, which is understood to beryllium 9 pages long.

What was Mandelson's effect to owed diligence questions?

A archetypal tranche of documents, published successful March, included a blank template sent to Mandelson for him to marque a declaration of interests, but we person not learned immoderate further details successful these 2nd acceptable of papers.

The completed declaration of involvement form, including details connected struggle of interests and immoderate enactment agreed to code immoderate conflicts, besides does not appear.

What did Mandelson accidental astir his narration with Epstein?

Sir Keir Starmer has antecedently accused Lord Mandelson of not afloat disclosing the grade of his narration with Epstein earlier helium was appointed to the role.

We already knew that during owed diligence checks anterior to the appointment, McSweeney asked the adjacent 3 follow-up questions astir his narration with the precocious financier.

However, his answers to these questions person not been disclosed successful the merchandise published connected Thursday.

According to McSweeney, these documents are among worldly held backmost astatine the petition of the Metropolitan Police, who are investigating the adjacent implicit allegations of misconduct successful nationalist office. Lord Mandelson has denied wrongdoing.

The BBC understands Mandelson's presumption is that helium answered questions astir his narration with Epstein successful the vetting process accurately.

Why was Mandelson disquieted astir Chagos?

In messages betwixt Lord Mandelson and then-chief of communications astatine No 10, Lord Matthew Doyle, the erstwhile ambassador raised concerns astir the UK's woody to manus implicit the Chagos Islands to Mauritius.

The statement would person seen the UK cede sovereignty of the territory to Mauritius and wage an mean of £101m ($136m) per twelvemonth to lease backmost a associated UK-US subject basal connected the archipelago's largest island, Diego Garcia.

The deal, signed past year, has present been shelved by the UK aft the US failed to formally corroborate its support earlier this year.

Back connected 18 January 2025, 2 days earlier President Trump's inauguration ceremony, Lord Mandelson discussed US-UK relations with Lord Doyle, according to the documents published connected Thursday.

Midway done a speech astir claims Lord Mandelson could beryllium rejected by Trump owed to his ties to the EU, the adjacent said: "I americium getting precise disquieted astir Chagos".

However the adjacent 5 messages are redacted, earlier the speech picks up again astir reports connected UK-US relations.