Government ‘fully committed’ to releasing Mandelson files amid further reports

Rhiannon James, Press Association Parliamentary Editor

The Government has reiterated its commitment to fully comply with an order to release the Mandelson files, amid reports that the disgraced peer’s links with Russia, China and Israel were raised before his appointment.

UK Security Vetting (UKSV) flagged Lord Peter Mandelson’s association with three senior overseas figures before he took the role of US ambassador, according to The Guardian.

His connections to Chinese finance minister Lan Fo’an, Russian oligarch Oleg Deripaska, and former Israeli military intelligence general Tamir Hayman were raised by the vetting agency in a nine-page summary, a source told the newspaper.

Concerns were also raised over Lord Mandelson receiving a £1 million loan to invest in an Israeli start-up and a potentially compromising relationship with a British individual, The Guardian said.

It comes after Parliament’s intelligence watchdog accused the Government of withholding certain documents, including “a vetting file held by UK Security Vetting”.

MPs had demanded the release of documents relating to the former Labour minister’s appointment using a parliamentary motion known as a humble address.

It was agreed that sensitive material, such as information which could compromise international relations or national security, would be passed to the Intelligence and Security Committee (ISC).

The ISC has since suggested redactions were “being applied far too broadly”, and its chairman Lord Beamish said ministers should seek permission from Parliament to exclude information on non-security grounds.

A UKSV summary document has been shared with the ISC and redactions have been mutually agreed so it can be published, the Cabinet Office said.

“We are committed to complying with the humble address in full,” a Government spokesperson said.

Chief Secretary to the Prime Minister Darren Jones said the Government has taken the “normal approach” to redactions, telling MPs it would not be in the public interest to publish the names and contact details of junior officials.

Last month, it was disclosed that UKSV had recommended against granting Lord Mandelson the developed vetting necessary for his appointment, but the Foreign Office gave him clearance despite that advice.

A second tranche of documents related to Lord Mandelson’s appointment will not be released until at least June, when MPs return from recess.

All 337 documents reviewed by the ISC are expected to be published, unless the Metropolitan Police have requested they be held back.

Mr Jones told the Commons last week: “When the Government publishes the second tranche of documents, we will also publish a methodology confirming the process we have followed, and it will be clear from the published information the basis on which content has been redacted.

“The targeted redactions made to the material, beyond those made relevant to national security or international relations, have been made in line with clear precedent set by previous administrations in responding to humble addresses.”