Key events
As reported by Nadeem Badshah this morning, the documents relating to Peter Mandelson’s appointment as ambassador to the US expected to be released today will include a due diligence report by the Cabinet Office, which is believed to be two pages long.
It is likely to raise questions about Keir Starmer’s judgment, with sources saying it had warned the prime minister of the serious “reputational risk” of going ahead with Mandelson’s appointment in December 2024 given his links with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
Officials said the document could prove “very difficult” for Starmer and warned that his response at the time – reportedly asking former chief of staff Morgan McSweeney, a friend of Mandelson, to seek an explanation from him about its contents – could be seen as “completely inadequate”.
You can read this morning’s preview of this story here:
Witkoff: UK support for US military action ‘a little too late’
Ben Quinn
Britain’s support for US military action against Iran came “a little too late” but Keir Starmer’s relationship with Donald Trump can be repaired, according to one of the president’s closest confidants, Steve Witkoff.
The comments by Witkoff, who has been Trump’s special envoy to the Middle East, come after a series of public broadsides by the US leader against the prime minister an the UK’s position on American and Israeli strikes on Iran.
Starmer sought to repair fractured relations on Sunday in a telephone call with Trump, after the latter had declared on social media “we don’t need people that join wars after we’ve already won”.
That comment came days after Trump had complained that Starmer “took far too long” to allow US forces to use UK airbases, and later commented witheringly about Starmer to reporters: “This is not Winston Churchill that we’re dealing with.”
However, Witkoff said in an interview with GB News:
He has said, as you know that it is a little bit – it does fall into the category of too little too late, but I think they have a good, solid relationship, and hopefully they’ll be able to repair it. I go by what the president says, and the president says continuously that everybody is entitled to their point of view. But I think sometimes we detect that there’s not that feeling of gratitude.
I think the president’s position is that we do plenty for Europe, plenty for the UK, in the area of trade, in the area of defence, in the area of the support we give to Nato. And I think sometimes the response back, the reciprocity back, is a little bit lacking. I would leave it at that, OK?
Trade disruption from Iran war ‘not good for British economy’, says Reeves
While we wait for the Mandelson documents, the chancellor has told MPs it is “certainly not good for the British economy to have trade disrupted” due to the Iran war.
Appearing before the Commons Treasury committee, Rachel Reeves said it would be “unwise to speculate” about the impact of the Iran war on inflation, growth or interest rates, but added that the Treasury is “looking at a number of scenarios”, the PA news agency reported.
“It’s certainly not good for the British economy to have trade disrupted, and especially when so much oil and gas comes from that part of the world,” Reeves told MPs.
“But the best thing that we can do as a government is to seek to de-escalate this conflict.”
Reeves said the UK stands ready to release strategic oil reserves as part of a broader international effort to curb the surge in crude prices.
“I’ve been very clear that the UK is willing to play its part in using those reserves to put downward pressure on oil prices and ensure that supply remains strong,” she said.
“We’re working closely with both our allies in the Gulf and in the G7 and also with the insurance industry to ensure that as quickly as possible we can get those movements going again.”
Student loans system ‘a mess’, says Clegg
Richard Adams
Meanwhile, Nick Clegg, the politician who enabled the current system of university tuition fees and student loans in England, has now described it as “a mess”.
The former Lib Dem leader, a key member of the coalition government that tripled tuition fees to £9,000 a year, is blaming later changes including freezing the graduate repayment threshold, which Clegg said has made the system “deeply unfair” and that graduates “quite rightly feel very sore”.
Clegg’s comments relate to Plan 2 loans for tuition fees and maintenance issued to undergraduates between 2012 and 2023. The earnings thresholds at which graduates start repaying those loans will be frozen at £29,385 between 2027 and 2030. Current students receive Plan 5 loans, which have a lower repayment threshold of £25,000 and are written off after 40 years rather than 30 under Plan 2.
Clegg told the BBC the government’s priority should be to restore a link between inflation and the graduate earnings threshold, so that the threshold rises over time. He also wants an independent body to oversee the terms of student loans.
Peter Mandelson was spotted leaving his home in London this morning as the government prepares to release documents relating to his appointment as ambassador to the US in 2024.
What are the Mandelson documents set to be released today?
As a reminder, here is what we know about the Mandelson documents set to be released today:
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The documents relate to Peter Mandelson’s appointment as ambassador to the US in December 2024, at a time when his links with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein were publicly known.
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Prime minister Keir Starmer sacked Mandelson from his Washington role last September after a trove of emails revealed the depth of his ties with Epstein.
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Last month’s release of files relating to the investigation of Epstein by the US justice department showed that Mandelson maintained his relationship with Epstein after Epstein served a sentence for soliciting prostitution from a minor in 2008.
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Starmer admitted he knew of Mandelson’s friendship with Epstein but said Mandelson had “lied repeatedly” to No 10 about the extent of that relationship.
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MPs ordered the government to release tens of thousands of documents relating to Mandelson’s appointment in 2024 after questions over how the peer was vetted and what was known about his links to Epstein.
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The documents being released today are the first batch of tens of thousands of files and will include correspondence between Cabinet Office, Downing Street and Foreign Office officials about Mandelson.
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Mandelson was arrested last month on suspicion of misconduct in a public office after allegations that he leaked confidential information to Epstein while serving as business secretary in Gordon Brown’s cabinet. He has denied any wrongdoing.
In other news, hereditary peerages will be abolished before the next king’s speech after a deal was struck granting life peerages to some Conservatives and cross-benchers losing their seats.
The upper chamber accepted a final draft of the House of Lords (hereditary peers) bill yesterday, marking the end of its passage through parliament and clearing the way for it to be added to the statute book.
Since 1999, up to 92 hereditary peers have been able to sit in the upper house and cast their votes in the lobbies but the bill effectively reduces this quota to zero.
Nadeem Badshah has more on this story here:
The timing of the documents’ release – following PMQs – has led to accusations from the Conservatives that Keir Starmer is attempting to “dodge questions” about Mandelson’s vetting and appointment.
Shadow Cabinet Office minister Alex Burghart said: “His fingers are all over this.
“He’s already admitted that he knew about Mandelson’s ongoing relationship with Epstein when he appointed him.
“Time and again his judgment has been found wanting.”
‘Big number’ of documents to be released
Cabinet minister Darren Jones said a “big number” of documents will be released about Peter Mandelson’s appointment, Press Association reports, although it is only expected to be a fraction of the papers demanded by Parliament.
Last month, MPs ordered the government to release tens of thousands of documents relating to Lord Mandelson’s appointment as US ambassador in 2024 after questions over how the peer was vetted and what was known about his links to paedophile financier Jeffrey Epstein.
Keir Starmer has insisted Mandelson “lied repeatedly” to No 10 about his relationship with Epstein, before and during his tenure as ambassador.
The documents to be released today are those which have been cleared for publication by the police investigating Mandelson.
Mandelson was arrested on 23 February on suspicion of misconduct in public office, having been accused of passing sensitive information on to Epstein during his time as business secretary.
He was subsequently bailed, but later released from his bail conditions, although he remains under investigation.
Opening summary: Mandelson documents to be released after PMQs
Good morning and welcome to our coverage of UK politics with the news that the government is to release hundreds of documents relating to Peter Mandelson’s appointment as ambassador to the US later today.
The documents will not be released until after Prime Minister’s Questions, meaning MPs will not be able to directly press Keir Starmer on their contents.
Chief secretary to the prime minister, Darren Jones, has defended the timing of the release.
Jones, who will make a Commons statement to set out the release of the documents, said: “We were always teed up to report in early March with the first tranche of documents, which is what we’re doing this afternoon.
“Because I run the Cabinet Office, at the centre of government, it was always my responsibility to give those updates to the House of Commons and statements always come after Prime Minister’s Questions.”
He told Times Radio: “There will be a second tranche of documents that will come at a later stage.”
In other developments:
I’m afraid due to staffing constraints there will be no comments on the blog today. Many apologies for this.
