Government Accused Of ‘Cover-Up’ Over Redactions In Mandelson Files

The government has been accused of a “cover-up” after fighting to keep some details of its files on Peter Mandelson redacted.

The second batch of files related to the vetting, hiring and subsequent firing of the ex-ambassador to the US are due to be released in June.

The former Labour peer was sacked in September when the depth of his friendship with paedophile Jeffrey Epstein was uncovered.

But questions over how – and why – he got the job in the first place remain, as his Epstein association was already in the public domain when he was hired.

The government has also been scrutinised after it emerged Mandelson failed security vetting but still got the job.

The government has been forced to publish its internal documents around the decision to hire Mandelson by the Conservatives using a parliamentary procedure called a Humble Address.

The Intelligence and Security Committee of MPs is overseeing the documents’ release and has raised concerns over the “broad” redactions within the files.

The ISC has tabled an Urgent Question – a debate – in the Commons on Tuesday to suggest ministers have been unfairly holding back information and are not abiding by the terms of the Humble Address.

The Tories’ shadow policy renewal minister Neil O’Brien said the ISC’s concerns are “an extremely serious matter that completely undermines what this House agrees”.

“There may be legitimate reasons the government doesn’t want to place certain things in the public domain, but if the Humble Address motion doesn’t allow for redactions on those grounds, the government can’t just unilaterally decide to ignore the will of this House.”

He then accused Labour MPs of voting for “a cover-up when they voted against referring the prime minister to the privileges committee” over Starmer’s past comments on Mandelson.

“This House and the people of this country deserve better than yet another cover-up,” O’Brien claimed.

But cabinet office minister Darren Jones said the government “takes these matter very seriously”.

He told the Commons: “I would not for one instance countenance the idea that there is, as loud as you’d like to shout it, a cover-up.

“If there was any suggestion of the cover-up, I would not be standing at this despatch box, I would resign.”

Jones, the chief secretary to the prime minister, also confirmed the next tranche of documents’ release date had been pushed back from this Thursday until June.

He said that would be “inappropriate” to release the lengthy publication as MPs are set to rise for recess on the same day.

“Given the House is due to rise on Thursday, and given the length of the publication, the second tranche will now be published after the Whitsun recess to give the House sufficient time to review the material and to be able to ask me and the government questions,” the minister told MPs.

“It could have been published this Thursday, but I felt that the House would deem that to be inappropriate, given it will be such a significant publication.”

“This will be the largest publication, other than the Chilcot Inquiry report, ever published to the House,” he said, referring to the official probe into the UK’s involvement in the Iraq war which covered almost a decade of decision-making.

The first batch of documents, released in March, showed Keir Starmer was give plenty of warnings not to make Mandelson the UK’s ambassador to Washington, but went ahead with it anyway.

The files showed the disgraced peer also wanted a pay-off of more than half a million pounds for the job he was sacked from, though he ended up with £75,000.

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