Angela Rayner leads Labour MP calls to back Tory demand for independent ruling on release of Mandelson files – UK politics live | Politics
Angela Rayner backs Tory calls for intelligence and security committee to decide what Mandelson files released
Angela Rayner, the former deputy PM, has urged the government to agree to the Tory proposal (see 1.15pm) for the intelligence and security committee to decide what Mandelson files are released, and what are held back.
In intervention while Thomas-Symonds was speaking, she said that she had table a humble address on PPE in 2022.
She said:
Given the public disgust and the sickening behaviour of Peter Mandelson and the importance of transparency … should we not have the ISC not have the same role now [as in relation to a previous humble address] in keeping public confidence in the process?
Key events
Thomas-Symonds says government intends to start disclosing Mandelson documents ‘today’
Thomas-Symonds told MPs that the goverment would comply with the motion as amended.
He said going through all the Mandelson documents – “a significant amount” – would take some time.
But the government would “start that process of disclosure, to the extent it can do, today”, he said.
Lindsay Hoyle, the speaker, said that there would be a “high bar” for accepting a manuscript amendment this afternoon (see 1.57pm), but he said that there was a lot to clear up and he was willing to do that.
Jeremy Wright (Con) said Thomas-Symonds’ comment about the ISC was helpful. (See 1.59pm.) He said it would be helpful to have an assurance that everything would be disclosed, either to the ISC or to the whole house.
Thomas-Symonds said his previous comment was “in good faith”.
Thomas-Symonds told MPs that the ISC would play a role in the Cabinet Office process deciding what Mandelson material gets released.
Speaker suggests MPs could be allowed to vote on last-minute amendment saying ISC should vet Mandelson files for release
Clive Efford (Lab) intervened to ask if it would be possible for someone to produce a manuscript amendment (that is a last-minute amendment submitted on the day, not one printed in the order paper) saying the ISC should take over the process. He said there was a “consenus in the house” that this would be a good way forward.
Lindsay Hoyle, the speaker, said a manuscript amendment would be a matter for the chair. He was the chair, he said. And he said he would be “sympathetic to what the house would need”.
Thomas-Symonds said, again, he would take this issue away.
Jonathan Brash, the Labour MP for Hartlepool, where Peter Mandelson was one of his predecessors, intervened to say, speaking on behalf of people in the town, he could says that Mandelson was “a traitor”. He said that it was important for the public to have confidence in this process.
That sounded like a call for the ISC to take over the process of deciding which material should be withheld.
Treasury committee chair Meg Hillier joins those saying ISC should be allow to vet Mandelson material for release
Meg Hillier, the Labour chair of the Treasury committee, also intervened to urge the government to let the intelligence and security committee (ISC) decide what Mandelson material is released. She said that was a tried and tested mechanism in this place in these sort of circumstances. She says committees could be trusted to do this; they did not leak.
Thomas-Symonds repeated the point about taking this proposal back to No 10.
The Conservative MP Bradley Thomas asks Thomas-Symonds to explain why “paedophile-adjacent” Peter Mandelson was appointed as an ambassador.
From my colleague Jessica Elgot
I have never seen anger like this on the Labour benches in private and in public. This is the kind of territory where things can move very fast.
Thomas-Symonds resists Tory call for government to pull its amendment inserting exclusions to disclosure order
Derek Twigg, a Labour member of the intelligence and security committee, also told Thomas-Symonds said he also thought the ISC should get to decide what Mandelson documents are released.
Oliver Dowden, the former deputy prime minister, also urged Thomas-Symonds to involve the ISC. He said that would give the public confidence in the process. He said Thomas-Symonds sounded “sympathetic” to that argument, and he asked him to confirm that.
Thomas-Symonds said he “heard what the house is saying”.
Simon Hoare, the Tory chair of the public administration and constitutional affairs commtitee, said that, in the light of what MPs are saying, the government should decide not to move its amendment.
Thomas-Symonds would not give that assurance. He said there were important public policy issues at stake.
Thomas-Symonds says government will consider call for ISC to take over document vetting role
In his response to Angela Rayner, Thomas-Symonds said the cabinet secretary, a man of “unimpeachable integrity”, would decide what material should be released assuming the motion is passed with the government’s amendment. And he says Cabinet Office lawyers would be involved.
But he added:
I am hearing what the house is saying and I will take that point away.
Angela Rayner backs Tory calls for intelligence and security committee to decide what Mandelson files released
Angela Rayner, the former deputy PM, has urged the government to agree to the Tory proposal (see 1.15pm) for the intelligence and security committee to decide what Mandelson files are released, and what are held back.
In intervention while Thomas-Symonds was speaking, she said that she had table a humble address on PPE in 2022.
She said:
Given the public disgust and the sickening behaviour of Peter Mandelson and the importance of transparency … should we not have the ISC not have the same role now [as in relation to a previous humble address] in keeping public confidence in the process?
Cabinet Office minister Nick Thomas-Symonds responds to Tories in Mandelson debate
Nick Thomas-Symonds, the Cabinet Office minister, is replying to Burghart on behalf of the government.
He started by saying the “depth and extent” of Peter Mandelson’s ongoing relationship with Jeffrey Epstein after Epstein’s first conviction was not known when Mandelson was appointed ambassador
Burghart ended his speech by asking about a secret visit that Keir Starmer made to the Palantir HQ in Washington when he visited the city while Mandelson was ambassador. He said Palantir was a client of Global Counsel, the firm set up by Mandelson. He says Palantir subsequently won a big government contract. He says that should be investigated.
Shadow minister Alex Burghart suggests intelligence and security committee should get to decide what Mandelson material released
Burghart said that, if the government has concerns about releasing some of the material in the Mandelson files, it should agree to letting the intelligence and security committee deciding what is made public.
