As I flipped the pages on the 1500 blockbuster response to the Humble Address I was amazed at how many near blank pages there were. They might have enticing indications of messages and conversations, but there was no material to or from the Prime Minister about the crucial matters of how he chose Lord Mandelson, what he was told about Lord Mandelson when making the appointment, what he asked to be done to carry out due diligence, or what conversations he had with Lord Mandelson before and after appointment. The conversations with the PM’s Chief of Staff, a key advocate of Mandelson’s appointment, are also missing.
I have no problem with the suppression of briefing material and commentary about the US and about events and meetings Lord Mandelson held as Ambassador where state secrets were exchanged or where there were mentions of items that would harm the UK if they were revealed. I do have problems if there are cases of witholding any information about the circumstances of the appointment, the risks involved, the mitigations required in the light of the risks. Where are the documents to support the decision to make a political appointment, to check out the candidate, and to handle his declared interests? Nor should we be spared the conversations between UK Ministers about the state of the government and the impact of the appointment, however embarrassing. We have seen some of that.
There are also important policy matters that need to be examined. I was pleased to see Lord Mandelson was proposing change of economic policy to get some growth, and was rightly critical of the government’s approach to tax, spend, benefits and business. We have not seen reports of conversations and meetings about EU re set and the interplay between the EU and the US which must have been central to some of his work as Ambassador to the US. During his period as Ambassador President Trump became more critical of the EU and wanted to give them harsher treatment than the UK over trade. What was said about this between Ambassador and Prime Minister? How did EU re set affect the negotiaitons they were holding with the US?