Wes Streeting has told Labour MPs he is prepared to show them all of his WhatsApp messages with Lord Mandelson as allies said he had “nothing to hide” about his relationship with the peer.
The health secretary is keen to address concerns MPs have that he is “close” to Mandelson, and has made the offer as delays in the disclosure of documents about the peer’s appointment as ambassador to Washington continue.
Streeting’s allies are concerned that the delay is fuelling damaging speculation about his ties Mandelson.
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Mandelson, left, with Labour MPs, including Wes Streeting, right, during the Labour Party conference in Liverpool in 2023
MATT CROSSICK/EMPICS/ALAMY
They say there are only “a handful of exchanges” between the two and have accused Streeting’s rivals of weaponising the Epstein scandal to hurt him.
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Supporters of Angela Rayner, and others on the left of the party, have claimed Streeting is close to Mandelson and has been “tainted” by the scandal around him. The pair are seen as the two frontrunners in a contest to succeed Starmer.
Wes Streeting and Angela Rayner before Labour’s general election win in summer 2024. They are seen as the two potential candidates to replace Starmer
JON SUPER/AP
Last week the government was forced to commit to releasing all documents and messages related to the appointment of Mandelson as ambassador. Ministers are being asked to hand over details of their exchanges with Mandelson while he was in the role, including WhatsApp messages, emails, texts and voice notes.
But the “huge” number of documents and a requirement, forced by MPs, for parliament to have oversight over publication, has meant it is taking longer to release.
As a result, Streeting has made it clear to Labour MPs that he is open to requests to show his messages with Mandelson privately — without waiting for the official disclosure — if those MPs ask to see them.
“He has nothing to hide,” a supporter said.
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Last week Streeting said “what Peter Mandelson did was totally wrong” and accused him of a “betrayal of the country and the national interest”. He also called Mandelson “stupid, irresponsible and reckless”.
He said the prime minister had been “swift and decisive” after the initial tranche of messages between Mandelson and Epstein was released in September.
A source close to Streeting said: “Wes isn’t at all worried about the publication of messages. There’s only a handful of exchanges. People who are claiming they were very close are going to be disappointed.”
Speculation over a leadership challenge is at fever pitch, and rival camps have been keen to highlight Streeting’s links to Mandelson.
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Allies of Rayner believe she has a window of opportunity to seize the leadership. They say Streeting, her main rival, is weakened by his links to Mandelson. “Wes is tainted, he can’t run until the dust settles on this,” one said.
They point to a social media post in which Streeting described Mandelson as a “legend” on the 2019 election campaign, and press reports describing him as close to the peer.
Wes Streeting’s mother, Corrina, Peter Mandelson as they campaigned in Ilford North during the 2015 general election
TIM STEWART
Some Rayner allies increasingly say that even if her HMRC tax probe is not concluded she will still run to replace Starmer. Others describe that as a dangerous move, adding: “We don’t know what HMRC could say.” Critics say a tilt at leadership before the tax matter is settled would be “careless”.
But a senior Labour MP told The Times: “Somebody’s going to have to make a move. The worst thing for them is if they don’t make a move, they just wither on the vine. It’s damaging the country and the party.”
Others insisted that Starmer should be made to “own” the local election and by-election results.
One MP said: “Nobody with a brain wants to come in and be blamed for losing the by-election.”
It is still unclear if anyone is ready to make the first move, either by sending in the list of 80 MPs needed to trigger a challenge or by orchestrating a set of cabinet resignations. “They keep putting these roadblocks in front of Keir and watch him stumble over them,” one MP said.