BREAKING: Labour Ministers tried to CONCEAL evidence of relationship with Peter Mandelson reportedly

本站添加: 2026-05-31

[00:00:00]Breaking tonight, the Telegraph is reporting that cabinet ministers attempted to conceal their messages with Lord Peter Mandlesson from Parliament.

[00:00:07]Under the terms of a humble address, quote unquote motion drafted by the Conservatives in February, ministers, officials, and special advisers were required to submit WhatsApp and email messages exchanged with Mandlesson, ultimately leading to the release of the Mandlesson files. But tonight it can be re revealed that the cabinet office was forced to ask twice for those messages because some ministers initially refused to send a full transcript of their conversations. Interesting. Who were those ministers? Well, with me now is the political editor for Times Radio, Anna Mahaliva. Anna, great to see you.

[00:00:40]Thanks for your company. Who were those ministers? Has it come out in public yet?

[00:00:45]>> No, we don't know. But of course um journalists will be asking and MPs no doubt will be asking when parliament comes back next week. MPs are currently in recess. So people aren't around to ask those questions. Um but we're expecting the next branch of the Mandlesson files, the really big release of thousands of documents to come out as early as next week. And there was already quite an extraordinary moment um recently where the one of the members of the uh security and intelligence committee in parliament which was appointed to oversee the way the government releases these files um and to prevent it from marking its own homework actually complained to Parliament that the government was redacting things that they shouldn't have been redacting and even not giving over um documents that they should be doing. Um this was a really extraordinary moment of really questioning the transparency of this process and the way the government is complying with what is is legally required to do by parliament. Um and there was even call by some to hold ministers in contempt of parliament if it carries on this way. And I think this story is the latest twist of this. This idea that ministers were trying to withhold emails and messages with Peter Mandelson that they have been required to by parliament to hand over is going to get scrutinized. Um there will be questions asked rightly of which ministers uh did not give those disclosures straight away. They will say perhaps that they just store it as work rellated messages first time round when the cabinet office made their initial request. That's the official line that they just said, well, we didn't submit everything because we thought it was only work related things. And then the cabinet office had to come back to them and clarify, no, hold on, it's everything. But let's be honest, that that that line is going to look very strange considering everyone saw what the request officially is from Parliament.

[00:02:59]>> Well, I guess let's start a sweep stake.

[00:03:01]I mean, I've probably got my guesses, but uh we'll see what happens next week with regards to names. But Anna, can I just ask you though, just, you know, of course, this is a serious story that the fact that Mandles was appointed in the first place is a massive serious story.

[00:03:14]But does it matter because we've seen no consequence? Nobody's fallen on their sword. We do that traditional thing in British life now where we just sort of mutter under our breath and you know nobody pays the price for it. Nobody resigns. Nobody is sacked and then we just move on. Does any of this matter anymore? Karma is still going to hold on.

[00:03:34]>> Well, look, Karma is still there, but I don't think it's quite right to say no one's fallen on their sword. Um, I mean, first things first, Peter Mandlesson had to fall on his sword. But since then, there's been um a trail of bodies as one official described it. Most of these people aren't household names, but in some cases, very senior officials have lost their jobs specifically over this.

[00:03:57]That's >> because Star is Morgan Mcweeny, K Star's chief of staff um and Ollie Robbins as well. So, so you know people have there have been consequences. I think it definitely does matter um because the release of these documents will shed a light on the processes of government in a way that we haven't seen in a very long time. It's going to be one of the biggest publications ever. Um I think second only to the Chilcot inquiry into the Iraq war which by the way cost the taxpayer millions and millions of pounds. So, at least this time round, uh there's not going to be a million million million pound price tag to it. Um but it it's certainly going to make for fascinating reading and I think buried in the release is going to be all sorts of enlightening information about how the Star administration has functioned, how Peter Mandles operated. I think it will actually shed a lot of light >> and it has caused real damage to Peter to Karma himself as well. Well, yes, he's still in the job, but he's pretty powerless in the job.

[00:05:06]>> Yeah. I I guess my point is you say there's a trail of bodies, but they're just people that Star has thrown under the bus. He throws everybody under the bus. And I suspect the ministers who are highlighted in this uh tranch next week who are going to be accused of not complying with parliament initially, they'll just wrigle it out of it as well. So, Sue Gray was thrown under the bus. Morgan Mweeny, Ollie Robbins, you know, the the people who the public want to see pay a price for these scandals are the the politicians, the ministers who are center stage day in and day out, communicating a message to the great British public that look, we are trustworthy. We are bastions of morality as Karma has been making out for for years upon years. But all he does is throw people under the bus. So I guess that was kind of my point, Anna, before I let you go. As a journalist, I'm constantly juggling high density information under tight deadlines. And honestly, I hate notetaking. It slows me down. And in high stakes interviews, scribbled notes are rarely 100% accurate. So that's why I have started using the Claude Note Pro as my professional pun. It has four highfidelity microphones that capture crystalclear audio from up to 5 m away, even in large briefing rooms. There's also a smart amold screen so I can quickly check recording status and battery and it easily lasts through a full week of heavy reporting. But it's more than just a recorder. It can snap photos of documents, jot ideas, and with just one tap save the 15 seconds before and after as a highlight, so nothing important slips through. Plaude then turns everything into accurate structured summaries. It even labels speakers automatically and can format notes into bullet points, task lists, or mind maps. With the ask flawed feature, I can instantly search past recordings, generate meeting summaries, or even draft follow-up emails, saving hours of work. And with top tier security standards like SOC2, GDPR, and HIPPA, my sources stay protected. This isn't just a device. It's an investment in productivity. So, get yours today by clicking the link or scanning the QR code. Get £10 off when you purchase Applaud Note Pro today. Just use code GBN10 via the first link in the description below.

[00:07:34]Well, I think it's a very valid point and I and I have to say that it's a point that is made by people privately um and increasingly around Westminster about Kama and his style of leadership.

[00:07:45]And don't underestimate how that sort of reputation um and view of someone can actually hamper them in terms of being able to get things done because yeah, at a certain point people will say, "Hold on a second. If you're never going to take responsibility when things go wrong, then why should I put my neck out on the line for you?

[00:08:05]>> Yeah. Yeah. Interesting. Anna, thank you so much. Really grateful uh for you staying up with us on the Late Show Live and we'll catch up soon.

[00:08:12]>> Uh right, uh let's get the thoughts on my panel. Greg, hello, Greg.

[00:08:16]>> Hello, Angelina.

[00:08:17]>> Hi.

[00:08:17]>> And uh Cla Maldun in London. Sorry, I will explain viewers. I uh I I think I cracked my rib earlier, so I'm in slight discomfort and uh I've had a few ibuprofens. So if I if you see me grimacing, that's why. But anyway, I just thought I'd get that out there because if you see me grimacing for 3 hours straight, then uh you know why.

[00:08:35]Anyway, um CL Mun, yeah, this is a serious story. This is serious, of course, and Anna rightly explains why.

[00:08:43]But do you see my point where it's like, well, so what if all you scally ministers and the prime minister are just going to keep wriggling out of it like weasels all the time? Nobody's paying a price.

[00:08:54]>> I I think it's actually bigger than that. Um Ben to be honest with you because from the whole appointment of Mandlesson and from his appointment to his resignation it's been a dark dark cloud over number 10 and we've seen victims already of the th of the fallout of it and it's not going to get any better. the chief secretary of staff um Darren Jones of course before the Witson week before recess has said that we're not going to um publish the rest of the Mandlesson files because we need to make sure they're redacted as Lord Beamish said head of the intelligence and security committee he said there are personal details on there of you know phone numbers addresses perhaps perhaps fine take all that out but the whole thing stinks it stinks from start to finish. Why we need to wait for the delay for these reports to be delivered?

[00:09:46]I get that. Okay. They want to give them to the MPs after recess and they all come back on Monday the 1st of June, which is this coming Monday. I reckon they'll let the MPs sit on it for a few days and then they should be published open and honestly to the public. And I think it'll be even more damning for the Labor government um once these things are out in the open. And we need to get them out in the open. I can't stress that enough. We've got a very pivotal bi-election coming up in this country.

[00:10:16]One that could perhaps feed the way to the new p to our new prime minister.

[00:10:20]We've then got potentially a prime minister leadership battle going on.

[00:10:25]Plus this we really they really need to clear up their backyard before they let anything else in. Otherwise, they are dead in the water.

[00:10:33]>> Okay.

[00:10:35]Yeah. Well said. Um Greg, Nanny Lulu on your say. Hello Nanny Lulu. Hope you're well. Good morning. Thank you for your company. She said, "Why the heck do we have no right to see things we pay for, Greg? Utter cover up after cover up."

[00:10:46]>> Yeah, as usual, it's not just the crime, it's the cover up. And and you know, these politicians should have learned by now. And you know, look at Matt Hancock who should be tried for war crimes for for how he handled the COVID crisis. But you know his what's >> he was too busy snogging in the halls of the department of uh social >> although that's not criminal but I think you know what the way he was you know basically saying to the public that you must lock down and you must wear a mask when he knew it wasn't even remotely valid and he said it in his WhatsApp messages. So you know look I think you know public figures should should learn the hard way or they should learn from what's happened in the past few years.

[00:11:26]Don't put anything in a WhatsApp or an email that's that you don't think will be public and and don't try to cover it up because that's not your position.

[00:11:34]>> Yeah. Angelina, any thoughts on this?

[00:11:36]>> I mean, on Mendelson, I'd be embarrassed if I had messages from Mendelson, too, right? Trying to cover them up. No, I kid. Um, but yeah, I mean, in terms of accountability, yeah, you always see this, right? You see politician after politician or even celebrity after celebrity. if they have the means, there's often no really accountability and time moves on, the news cycle moves on and it seems like things get swept under the rug. Quite often this happens.

[00:12:00]>> Yeah. And I'll go back to my old point.

[00:12:02]This is of course is a great story in terms of news content. Yeah, great. Get the popcorn out. Let's see which ministers have been texting Mandlesson.

[00:12:09]But as I said, nothing happens. They all cover each other's backs. They all scratch each other's backs and I'll scratch yours and we'll do some deals and we'll stay in our cushy positions and have our ministerial cars and get our expenses and we'll carry on destroying the country for 3 years. You know, nobody's so cynical. Do you not think maybe this would be the the disinfectant that we need?

[00:12:30]>> No. No. It's a swamp. President Trump called it the swamp. Drain the swamp.

[00:12:35]That Westminster is an absolute swamp.

[00:12:37]It's like a It's like an episode of I'm a Celebrity for the rats and snakes.

[00:12:41]Thank you, fair. Right, a cabinet office spokesman has said ministers and former ministers have replied to requests made under the humble address process.