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Peter Mandelson was offered a highly classified briefing from the Foreign Office as US ambassador before he finished the formal vetting process, newly released documents reveal.
The documents were released after the Conservatives forced the disclosures about the appointment of Mandelson, who was sacked in September last year because of his close association with the sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
The initial tranche disclosed by the Cabinet Office covers the vetting of Mandelson as a potential US ambassador as well as discussions around his dismissal in autumn last year.
The documents suggest that the FCDO may have begun to brief Mandelson on classified information after his appointment – but before he was formally vetted at the highest levels. The offer of a briefing came just over a fortnight after Mandelson’s appointment had been announced on 20 December 2024.
An email dated 23 December from the head of the US & Canada department at the FCDO to Mandelson outlined his onboarding arrangements. In this email, the official states: “We’ll brief you further in person from 6 January onwards, including at higher tiers.”
An email does not formally confirm Mandelson’s developed vetting clearance until 30 January 2025, his formal offer of employment.
Mandelson was asked then to apply for an even higher level of vetting – Strap clearance – which was not initiated until 4 February. The emails suggest he would have received higher-tier briefings before either of these processes were complete.
The FCDO’s own security guidelines outlined in the formal appointment letter attached to that same email stated: “If Strap clearance is required … you should submit a new Strap application form for your new position at least three months before you are due to start at post.”
The documents also show Mandelson was offered a severance payment of £75,000 after initially asking the Foreign Office to pay him more than £500,000 for the balance of his contract upon his sacking as US ambassador, newly released documents reveal.
Exchanges in the documents released by the Cabinet Office suggested officials did “well to get this settlement down this low with minimal fuss”, after Mandelson was sacked as ambassador to the US.
Speaking in the Commons after the release of the first tranche of documents, the chief secretary to the prime minister, Darren Jones, said: “We know that these documents also reveal that the due diligence process fell short of what is required. We have already taken steps to address weaknesses in the system and to ensure that when standards of behaviour fall short of the high standards expected, that there will be more serious consequences.”
In a statement that appeared to acknowledge the unorthodox timeline of Mandelson’s appointment and his subsequent vetting, Jones said: “We are changing the process for direct ministerial employments, including politically appointed diplomatic roles, so that where the role requires access to highly classified material, the candidate must have passed national security vetting before such appointments are announced or confirmed.”
The documents reveal that concern was raised about Mandelson’s appointment by two of the most senior government officials – the national security adviser, Jonathan Powell, and the FCDO’s permanent secretary, Philip Barton.
An investigation launched after Mandelson’s dismissal records Powell recollecting that he had raised issues around the former Labour minister’s reputation directly with the prime minister’s then chief of staff, Morgan McSweeney, who said “the issues had been addressed”.
The documents also reveal Starmer was reassured about Mandelson’s relationship with Epstein by Matthew Doyle, the prime minister’s former director of communications, who said he was “satisfied” with his explanation.
Starmer has since said he believed Mandelson misled his team about the depth of his friendship with Epstein, including contact with him while he was in prison, urging him to fight for early release.
In the due diligence file, Starmer was warned there was “general reputational risk” around Mandelson’s links to Epstein. It enclosed information that was in the public domain – that Mandelson’s friendship continued “after Epstein was first convicted of procuring an underage girl in 2008, their relationship continued across 2009-2011 … Mandelson reportedly stayed in Epstein’s house while he was in jail in June 2009.”
