First Mandelson files to be published on Wednesday

The UK government will publish the first wave of internal documents relating to the appointment of Lord Mandelson as British ambassador to the US on Wednesday lunchtime.

The material will be accompanied by a statement in the Commons by the Chief Secretary to the Prime Minister, Darren Jones, at around 12:30, after Prime Minister's Question Time.

It is expected the documents will detail elements about the process prior to Lord Mandelson taking up the role in Washington.

This will mark just the start of the release of information which would normally never be published but the government was forced to release by MPs.

Early last month the Conservatives used a parliamentary procedure known as a humble address to compel the government to release the papers.

Since then, a cross-party parliamentary committee, the Intelligence and Security Committee (ISC), has been involved in a complex process with government officials over which documents can be released - and with what redactions - to comply with the will of MPs without jeopardising national security or the UK's overseas relationships.

An added complication is the ongoing police investigation into Lord Mandelson, which will probably mean that some documents which could arguably prejudice any potential future court case are not released yet.

Lord Mandelson was appointed His Majesty's Ambassador to the United States in December 2024, but was sacked last September, following revelations about his close friendship with the late disgraced financier, Jeffrey Epstein.

He resigned from the Labour Party at the start of February and was arrested on suspicion of misconduct in public office just over weeks later.

He remains under police investigation, but last week his lawyers said his passport had been returned by the Metropolitan Police, adding that he did not constitute a flight risk.

Lord Mandelson has repeatedly let it be known that he believes he has not acted criminally, did not act for personal gain and is cooperating with the police.

Cabinet Office minister Darren Jones confirmed there will be a "chunky publication" on Wednesday, as he claimed the government has "no interest" in trying to "hold any of this back".

He told BBC Breakfast: "The government wants to shine a light on these things as much as everybody else, that's why we're working with Parliament to publish these documents and be totally transparent about it."

Jones said a second round of documents will be published "a bit later", noting it was taking "a bit of time" to collect WhatsApp messages, emails and other communications that are "relevant".

He cited the Metropolitan Police's investigation and the need for the ISC to check some documents before they are published as the reason for why everything was not being released in one go.

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