Labour MPs don’t want to discuss anything except how to put up benefits – and who to take more from to pay for it, a Cabinet Minister privately admitted. The despair felt by senior cabinet ministers at the failures of the Labour government are revealed in the latest volume of the Mandelson files.
Private e-mails and text message between Lord Mandelson, the disgraced former ambassador, and members of the Government have been published by Parliament and they showed that Mandelson was offering advice behind the scenes on a range of comments. In one striking moment, Pat McFadden, currently the work and pensions secretary, complained that all Labour MPs want to talk about is how to increase taxes.
Mr McFadden, the former Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, Lord Mandelson in May 2025 there was “lots of manoeuvring” at Westminster, highlighting the behaviour of Angela Rayner, the former Deputy Prime Minister, and Gordon Brown, the former prime minister who at the time was talking publicly about the need to fight child poverty.
Mr McFadden said: “Doesn’t feel good for Keir.”
But he added: “I don’t know what Keir thinks of all this. He has not spoken to me about any of it.”
Lord Mandelson says he hears that Labour MPs are “in mutinous state”.
And Mr McFadden replied: “Yes. Every meeting I have is ‘who can we tax in order to pay benefits to others’. They’re asking the wrong questions.”
In a later conversation in June 2025, Mr McFadden explains how Labour MPs are forcing the Government to ditch plans to limit welfare spending.
Referring to Sir Keir, Mr McFadden told Mandelson: “He is meeting the ringleaders today. I think it’s very bad. Defeat, pull bill or gut it all destroy his authority.”
On an exchange in July, Mandelson asked: “How is No 10 in your view?”
Mr McFadden responded, “Not good.”
And in August, he said Downing Street officials had “a lack of belief that good people will come in to Number 10 and it’s hard to get the bad ones to leave”.
Other exchanges between the pair reveal Mandelson’s contempt for Wes Streeting, the former Health Secretary, even though Mr Streeting is sometimes regarded as his protégé.
Mr McFadden revealed Mr Streeting had circulated “a series of videos and a note” to Cabinet colleagues. Mandelson responds: “Pathetic … I think Wes is experiencing an early mid-life crisis.”
Meanwhile, Wes Streeting revealed his concern about the state of the party in messages with Mandelson in March.
He said: “I fear we’re in big trouble here – and I am toast at the next election. We just lost our safest ward in Redbridge (51% Muslim, Ilford S) to a Gaza independent. At this rate I don’ t think we’ll hold either of the two Ilford seats.”
And in comments previously published by Mr Streeting, the former Health Secretary told Lord Mandelson: “There isn’t a clear answer to the question: why Labour? … No growth strategy at all.”