Ministers warned not to follow Streeting and publish Mandelson messages

Ministers have been warned not to follow Wes Streeting in publishing their messages with Peter Mandelson amid a police investigation into alleged misconduct in a public office, it is understood.

In a message to officials, the Cabinet Office said members of Government should not share material that could be covered by a Commons motion forcing the release of documents relating to the peer’s appointment as US ambassador.

Meanwhile, Scotland Yard warned on Tuesday that it was “vital due process is followed” so as not to jeopardise its probe following accusations the peer passed market-sensitive information to Jeffrey Epstein in the 2000s.

It comes after the Health Secretary shared a transcript of messages, dated from August 2024 to October 2025, between himself and Lord Mandelson as he sought to distance himself from the peer on Monday.

Among the published exchanges were concerns expressed by Mr Streeting that the Government had “no growth strategy” and that he would be “toast” at the next general election.

In a statement on Tuesday, a Metropolitan Police spokesperson said: “An investigation into alleged misconduct in public office is under way and it is vital due process is followed so that our criminal investigation and any potential prosecution is not compromised.

“As part of our inquiries, we will review material identified and provided to us by the Cabinet Office to assess whether publication is likely to have a detrimental impact on our investigation or any subsequent prosecution.

“We will work alongside the Cabinet Office to review relevant documents over the weeks ahead. The process to decide which documents should ultimately be published remains a matter for Government and Parliament.
 
“As we have stated previously, this investigation may be complex but we are focused on a timely and thorough process so that justice is served in this case, or future ones linked to the Epstein files.”

The Health Secretary’s association with Lord Mandelson has been regarded by some in Westminster as a possible hurdle should he seek to succeed Sir Keir Starmer as Labour leader as he continues to attract speculation about his ambitions.

He told Sky News’ Electoral Dysfunction podcast he had shared the messages after “smear and innuendo” which suggsted he had something to hide emerged over the weekend, when a briefing war broke out between his allies and those of Angela Rayner.

Asked whether Mr Streeting had checked with the Prime Minister before publishing them, Sir Keir’s official spokesman told reporters on Tuesday that the Government was “cooperating fully with the Met investigation”.

Pressed on whether the Health Secretary had followed the correct process, he said: “I’m not going to comment on the Health Secretary’s disclosure of those messages, that’s for him.”

Government figures are preparing to hand over reams of material to Parliament’s security watchdog as they face pressure to reveal the extent of what was known about the peer’s friendship with Jeffrey Epstein when he was picked for the Washington job last year.

Sir Keir Starmer warned on Friday a “very significant volume of material” – understood to be likely to run into the high tens of thousands – would need to be reviewed.
 
Following a Commons motion, Downing Street agreed to release all documents relating to Lord Mandelson’s appointment, including messages between ministers and senior officials that have the potential to prove embarrassing for the Government.

Control over which files can be released into the public domain has been ceded to Parliament’s Intelligence and Security Committee (ISC) after a Labour backlash to No 10’s initial attempt to add possible exemptions to protect international relations.

Committee chairman Lord Beamish said the ISC would not “do anything which would undermine” the police investigation launched after allegations that Lord Mandelson passed on information to Epstein when he was business secretary following the 2008 financial crisis.

Sir Keir believes the files will prove the former Labour grandee lied about the depth of his association to the paedophile financier during his vetting for the UK’s top diplomatic posting abroad.

The Prime Minister has apologised for his decision to appoint Lord Mandelson but vowed to stay in No 10 to fulfil “my mandate and my responsibility to my country” after surviving renewed calls for his resignation from members of his party, including Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar.