Wes Streeting says he has “nothing to hide” over his relationship with Lord Mandelson and has shared his private texts with the disgraced Labour peer to back up his case.
The messages seen by Sky News include the health secretary admitting he fears he is “toast at the next election,” that he thinks the government has “no growth strategy at all,” and that Israel is “committing war crimes before our eyes”.
Mr Streeting disagreed with the suggestion by Sky’s political editor Beth Rigby that the messages show he had an “intimate friendship” with Lord Mandelson. You can read the full exchanges here.
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Interviewed amid the crisis in Sir Keir Starmer’s leadership – triggered by new revelations about Lord Mandelson’s relationship with paedophile Jeffrey Epstein – Mr Streeting also said he backed the prime minister.
The health secretary said he was sharing the messages with Sky News because of an attempt to “smear” him over the weekend by suggestions he was “close friends” with Lord Mandelson.
Mr Streeting has long been seen as on leadership manoeuvres and may otherwise be thought to be a potential beneficiary if Sir Keir were to resign as prime minister. But Mr Streeting has himself come under criticism for his links to Lord Mandelson.
“You would think from some of the things we’ve read over the weekend that I was having dinner with him every week, sought his advice on everything and anything,” he said.
He added there had been an implication that “very embarrassing or damaging messages [were going to] come out,” and so was sharing them because “sunlight is the best disinfectant”.
He said claims he was aware of the depth of Lord Mandelson’s association with Jeffrey Epstein made his “blood boil”.
“I did not know about the nature of Peter Mandelson’s relationship with Jeffrey Epstein after his conviction and had I known, I would not have wanted him anywhere near Washington, anywhere near the Labour Party or anywhere near me or my family,” he told Rigby.
‘Embarrassed to have known Mandelson’
He said that as “a matter of record” Lord Mandelson had helped him “a couple of times” with election campaigns.
“[Lord Mandelson has] definitely offered advice to me and other people in government,” Mr Streeting told Rigby.
He said that his relationship with Lord Mandelson began through his partner, Joe Dancey.
Mr Dancey worked as a parliamentary researcher for Lord Mandelson 25 years ago. The couple have reportedly attended dinner clubs with Lord Mandelson.
Mr Streeting told Sky News he was “embarrassed to have known Peter Mandelson”.
But he also apologised to his cabinet colleagues for the content of some of his messages: “I hope I haven’t caused either embarrassment or discomfort for my cabinet colleagues because I clearly talk about particularly on foreign policy.
“I have made [Foreign Secretary] Yvette Cooper aware of what I’ve said about Palestine, Gaza, and the conduct of the Israeli government, and I hope that doesn’t cause colleagues difficulty because I have always been a team player.”
Streeting says Starmer should stay on as PM
Asked whether Sir Keir should resign, Mr Streeting said “No.”
“It has not been the best week for the government,” he admitted, but added: “That’s not just Keir Starmer, that’s all of us because we’re a team.”
Backing the prime minister, he told Sky News: “Let’s give Keir the chance [to turn it around]. Let him set out how he’s going to lead us forward.”
The prime minister’s position is in jeopardy over his decision to appoint Lord Mandelson as ambassador to the US despite being warned about his friendship with Epstein.
The New Labour grandee is facing a criminal investigation following revelations in the latest Epstein files. They appear to show Lord Mandelson passed on market-sensitive information to Epstein when he was business secretary after the 2008 financial crisis
Searches have been carried out at his properties by police investigating claims of misconduct in a public office.
Lord Mandelson has denied any wrongdoing in relation to Epstein. He has said he regrets maintaining a relationship with him and apologised to the sex offender’s victims.
Mr Streeting said the messages he was sharing would be covered by the parliamentary inquiry into the peer’s appointment.
“I’m happy for you to publish them,” he said I’m happy for people to look at them and I’m happy to answer questions about them. I’ve got nothing to hide.”
Read some of the exchanges:
‘I am toast at the next election’
[28/03/2025, 11:36:06] Wes Streeting: 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.
[28/03/2025, 11:39:54] Wes Streeting: There isn’t a clear answer to the question: why Labour?
[28/03/2025, 11:48:44] Lord Mandelson: The government doesn’t have an economic philosophy which is then followed through in a programme of policies.
[28/03/2025, 11:49:15] Wes Streeting: No growth strategy at all
‘Israel is committing war crimes’
[24/07/2025, 23:00:29] Wes Streeting: Am sure this will come up in coming days, so wanted to check in with you on recognition of Palestine and the domestic politics of it.
Keir’s statement today was excellent, but Macron’s statement tonight ups the ante.
Morally and politically, I think we need to join France.
Morally, because Israel is committing war crimes before our eyes. Their government talks the language of ethnic cleansing and I have met with our own medics out there who describe the most chilling and distressing scenes of calculated brutality against women and children.
Politically, a Commons vote will be engineered in September on recognition and we will lose it if we’re not ahead of it. There are no circumstances in which people like me or Shabana could abstain or vote against, for example. Conference will be a sea of Palestinian flags and the moderates will be waving them.
We need to be leading the charge on this. The alternative is being dragged there with enormous damage to Keir, the govt and the party.
I’ve never been a shrinking violent on Israel. I’ve supported LFI for over 20 years. Our sister party, Haaretz, and progressives are clear about what’s being done in their name and they oppose it.
I appreciate these things are always more complicated than they appear to those of us who aren’t up close as you are and I also appreciate how much Keir and David are giving to this personally.
But it is what it is. We need to lead, not follow.
[24/07/2025, 23:11:47] Lord Mandelson: I can see all this but I am worried that such a gesture now could blow a 2 SS out of the water if Israel decided that unilateral recognition justified further WB annexation which the US would be powerless to stop or reverse. That would be the end of it.
So I think we need to employ practical means to get a 2SS, not quickly I grant but realistically. The PA with reform and new leadership can advance this with Arab/US/European support. The alternative is a further deadlocked death spiral on an even greater scale than now.
[24/07/2025, 23:12:10] Wes Streeting: Israel is doing it anyway.
[24/07/2025, 23:12:39] Wes Streeting: This is rogue state behaviour. Let them pay the price as pariahs with sanctions applied to the state, not just a few ministers.
