Starmer’s national security adviser expressed concern about Mandelson appointment, documents show - as it happened

Release shows that Jonathan Powell warned Morgan McSweeney about the appointment of Mandelson as US ambassador

As reported by Nadeem Badshah this morning, the documents relating to Peter Mandelson's appointment as ambassador to the US expected to be released today will include a due diligence report by the Cabinet Office, which is believed to be two pages long.

It is likely to raise questions about Keir Starmer's judgment, with sources saying it had warned the prime minister of the serious reputational risk" of going ahead with Mandelson's appointment in December 2024 given his links with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

He has said, as you know that it is a little bit - it does fall into the category of too little too late, but I think they have a good, solid relationship, and hopefully they'll be able to repair it. I go by what the president says, and the president says continuously that everybody is entitled to their point of view. But I think sometimes we detect that there's not that feeling of gratitude.

I think the president's position is that we do plenty for Europe, plenty for the UK, in the area of trade, in the area of defence, in the area of the support we give to Nato. And I think sometimes the response back, the reciprocity back, is a little bit lacking. I would leave it at that, OK?