Foreign secretary fails to defend Starmer after Mandelson messages published

Stay up to date with notifications from The IndependentNotifications can be managed in browser preferences.AllNewsSportCultureLifestyleThe Foreign secretary stated that Peter Mandelson should "never have been appointed" as Britain's ambassador to the US, following the publication of damning messages. During her visit to China, Yvette Cooper declined to affirm Sir Keir Starmer's strength as a leader or comment on Mandelson's criticism that the Prime Minister "lacks verve". The government is facing scrutiny after releasing a second tranche of documents detailing Mandelson's appointment, which revealed his critical views of Sir Keir's Downing Street operation. Sir Keir sacked Mandelson in September 2025 due to pressure following leaked emails showing the peer sent supportive messages to Jeffrey Epstein. The released documents also showed Mandelson's refusal to hand over personal communications and included internal Labour Party criticisms, such as Pat McFadden's comments on the Parliamentary Labour Party. In fullMandelson should never have been ambassador, Yvette Cooper says after damning messages revealedThank you for registeringPlease refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in

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