Mandelson Files Reveal Chaos Over Trump Gift

Newly published government files reveal chaotic efforts by Downing Street officials to secure a ministerial 'red box' for Donald Trump ahead of his state visit in September 2025. Peter Mandelson, the former UK ambassador to Washington, expressed frustration over the delays and compared the situation to TV's The Thick of It, as reported by Daily Mail.

Mandelson resigned just days before Trump's visit following fresh revelations about his links to Jeffrey Epstein. Emails show Mandelson intervened in an apparent complaint about the time being taken to secure the gift, which was ultimately not ready for the state visit. The files also reveal discussions between Foreign Office and Downing Street officials regarding the red box.

The release of these documents brings further embarrassment to Prime Minister Keir Starmer, who faces calls for his resignation due to his judgment in appointing Mandelson despite warnings about Epstein links. Police have asked for some documents to be withheld as part of a criminal investigation into Mandelson's alleged misconduct.

According to The Guardian, the files do not include a nine-page summary document compiled by UK Security Vetting (UKSV), which had recommended denying clearance to Mandelson due to his associations with senior figures in China, Russia, and Israel. The lack of any record of security mitigations raises questions about assurances provided by senior Whitehall officials.

The documents also reveal that Mandelson was not asked to take any steps himself to allay national security concerns. Starmer sacked Mandelson after US files exposed the depth of his friendship with Epstein, leading to the departure of Starmer's chief of staff and the top official at the Foreign Office.

According to Los Angeles Times, this is read by an automated voice. Please report any issues or inconsistencies here. The government complied with a demand by lawmakers to release documents related to Peter Mandelson’s appointment to U.K. ambassador to Washington, the U.K.’s most important diplomatic post.

Among the more than 1,000 pages of documents is a note from Mandelson to then-Foreign Secretary David Lammy before his appointment pledging the government would “never regret” giving him the job. Mandelson was fired after nine months, and fallout from the appointment has left Starmer fighting for his job.

A first trove of files published in March revealed ministers had been warned that Mandelson’s friendship with Epstein exposed the government to “reputational risk.” It later was disclosed that Mandelson had been approved for the ambassador’s job despite failing security checks, a revelation that sparked bitter blame-trading between Starmer and senior civil servants who oversaw the security vetting.

The files released include emails and text messages between Mandelson and government ministers and advisers. Police have asked for some documents to be withheld because they form part of a criminal investigation into Mandelson for alleged misconduct in public office. Mandelson, 72, was briefly arrested in February by detectives investigating allegations he passed sensitive government information to Epstein when he was a minister in the British government a decade and a half ago.

Health Secretary James Murray said Monday that the release marked an “unprecedented” level of transparency from the government. Conservative lawmaker Alex Burghart said any attempt to withhold or redact more documents than those requested by police “will be viewed by the House as a contempt of Parliament, and as a cover-up by the British public.”

Starmer fired Mandelson in September 2025 after an earlier release of documents showed he had maintained contact with Epstein after the financier’s 2008 conviction for sexual offenses involving a minor. Critics say Starmer’s decision to appoint Mandelson is evidence of bad judgment by a prime minister who has made repeated missteps since he led the center-left Labor Party to a landslide election victory in July 2024.

According to The Guardian, it is, Downing Street has said, the most extensive release of government documents ever done in response to a Commons motion – nearly 1,500 pages in all. But what does the second and main tranche of documents connected to Peter Mandelson’s role as US ambassador to Washington tell us that is new?

The so-called humble address motion that obliged the government to hand over documents was very broad but there are a few pieces of information missing. An early passage about the scope of searches said that on 31 March this year, a government official wrote to Mandelson, via his solicitors, to request “any information held on his personal phone.”

It went on: “Peter Mandelson declined to comply with this request. The government has no further recourse to search the personal devices of Peter Mandelson.” Perhaps less new than illuminating as to how and why Mandelson felt Starmer’s No 10 was underperforming, with many insights coming from his voluminous WhatsApp chats with Pat McFadden, one of Starmer’s most trusted ministers.

Downing Street is “beleaguered and bereft”, Mandelson said after a visit there in July 2025. Later the same day he described the PM’s habitual style to McFadden as “advance/buckle/advance/buckle”. Starmer, he argued another time, “lacks verve, as does the cabinet as a whole.”