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Minister defends Mandelson file redactions and says documents to be released in June – UK politics live | Politics

Published

3 months ago

May 19, 2026

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Minister says security vetting system would break down if Mandelson’s answers to private questions were disclosed

Jeremy Wright, the Conservative deputy chair of the intelligence and security committee who tabled the Mandelson UQ, said the committee had “considerable sympathy” with the arguments used by the government to justify the redactions that went beyond the redactions allowed by the humble address.

He went on:

But we cannot accept that the government is entitled to ignore or to unilaterally alter the terms of the humble address. So does the Minister accept that if the government wants to argue that the humble address is too broad as drafted and needs to be refined, it must come to this house and make that argument and get the House’s consent for any alteration.

In response, Jones referred to his early comments justifying the redacting of information relating to personal data.

And referring to the government’s refusal to give the ISC informationn relating to Mandelson’s own security vetting, Jones said:

The raw data that is collected as part of those investigations, which, for example, might relate to how much money you have in a particular account or who you may have had a personal relationship with in the past, that raw data would never be published because if we did so, people would feel unable to answer those questions honestly and frankly in any UK security vetting investigation in the future, which would undermine the very basis of our national security system.

Key events

Labour confirms Burnham to be its Makerfield byelection candidate, after NEC declines to shortlist anyone else

Andy Burnham is Labour’s candidate for the Makerfield byelection, my colleague Jessica Elgot reports.

NEW – Andy Burnaham is the candidate for Makerfield.

After all that, the NEC didn’t shortlist anyone else. It’s done.

Jones dismisses Mandelson cover-up claim as ‘conspiracy theory’

Labour’s Kim Johnson told Jones she thought the government was “still continuing to cover up Mandelson’s dodgy dealings by redacting and withholding certain information”.

In response, Jones said the claim of a cover-up was “merely conspiracy theory”.

Richard Burgon (Lab) asked for an assurance that, when Morgan McSweeney was the PM’s chief of staff, he had the appropriate security clearance for all the documents he say.

Jones refused to give a direct answer, just saying that he had addressed this question in the past.

Emily Thornberry, the Labour chair of the foreign affairs committee, said she was “disappointed” with Jones’ response to the concerns expressed by the ISC. She said that she thought the ISC should ge to see Mandelson’s vetting file, subject to “proper redactions”, so it could understand the mitigations that were put in place by the Foreign Office to deal with the concerns they had about Mandelson becoming US ambassador.

Jones said the ISC had been given documents about the advice given to the Foreign Office, and about the Foreign Office’s decision to approve Mandelson’s vetting.

But “the raw data collected as part of interviews undertaken with Peter Mandelson” had not been handed over, he said. He said that would not be disclosed for any appointment.

Darren Jones, chief secretary to PM, rejects Tory claim of ‘cover-up’ over Mandelson files

Speaking for the Conservaties, Neil O’Brien, the shadow minister for policy renewal, said it was unacceptable for the government to hold back information that should have been disclosed under the terms of the humble address. He said:

For [Jeremy Wright] to say that the government has applied redactions to the documents sent to the ISC beyond the scope agreed by the house, and has also withheld documents entirely from the ISC, is an extremely serious matter that completely undermines what this house agreed.

There may be legitimate reasons the government doesn’t want to place certain things in the public domain, but if the humble address motion doesn’t allow for redaction on those grounds, the government can’t just unilaterally decide to ignore the will of this house.

He suggested, as a way of resolving this dispute, that the government should discuss its concerns with the opposition on privy council terms.

He went on:

[Labour MPs] voted for a cover-up when they voted against referring the prime minister to the privileges committee over [comments Keir Starmer made to MPs about Mandleson.]

This house and the people of this country deserve better than yet another cover-up.

Jones rejected the cover-up claim. If the government was engaged in a cover-up, he would resign, he said.

Matt Western, the Labour chair of the joint committee on the national security strategy, asked Jones about the ISC criticism of the government’s reliance on WhatsApp and its failure to record decisions properly. (See 11.42am.)

Jones said the government had already announced a review “on the use of non-corporate communications channels” in government.

Minister says security vetting system would break down if Mandelson’s answers to private questions were disclosed

He went on:

But we cannot accept that the government is entitled to ignore or to unilaterally alter the terms of the humble address. So does the Minister accept that if the government wants to argue that the humble address is too broad as drafted and needs to be refined, it must come to this house and make that argument and get the House’s consent for any alteration.

In response, Jones referred to his early comments justifying the redacting of information relating to personal data.

And referring to the government’s refusal to give the ISC informationn relating to Mandelson’s own security vetting, Jones said:

The raw data that is collected as part of those investigations, which, for example, might relate to how much money you have in a particular account or who you may have had a personal relationship with in the past, that raw data would never be published because if we did so, people would feel unable to answer those questions honestly and frankly in any UK security vetting investigation in the future, which would undermine the very basis of our national security system.

Minister rejects claim from ISC that too much personal data redacted from Mandelson files being released

In its statement on Friday, the ISC accused the government of redacting too much information from the files. (See 11.42am.)

In his opening statement, Darren Jones, the chief secretary to the PM, rejected this claim.

He said that the government was redacting personal information (relating to things like the names of junior officials) in line with the rules that apply to responses to Freedom of Information requests, and in line with the rules in the ministerial code, and resolutions on ministerial accountability passed by the Commons.

These rules say material can be held back if publication is not in the public interest, he said. He went on:

I am sure members across the house will recognise there is no public interest in the government publishing the names and contact details of junior officials or their telephone numbers.

Mandelson files won’t be published until June, and will be biggest release of documents since Chilcot inquiry, MPs told

Darren Jones, the chief secretary to the PM, is responding to the UQ about the Mandelson files. (See 11.42am.)

He says the government is complying with the humble address requiring the publication of documents relating to Peter Mandelson’s appointment as ambassador to the US, and also his communications as ambassador with ministers and officials.

He says that the government has referred more than 300 documents to the intelligence and security committee for vetting. (The committee, not the government, gets to decide what material will be withheld on th grounds that it could prejudice national security or international relations.)

He says, when the government checked, it realised that “a small number of further documents” had not been handed over. But those have now been given to the ISC, as it said in its statement on Friday.

He says the material is now being prepared for publication. He says this will be “one of the largest government publications ever laid in this house”.

He says, given the volume of material, it will be published after the Whitsun recess (ie, after the Commons returns from the half-term recess on Monday 1 June).

He says:

It could have been published this Thursday, but I felt that the house would deem that to be inappropriate, given it will be such a significant publication.

This will be the largest publication, other than, I think, the Chilcot Inquiry report ever published to the house.

World ‘sleepwalking into global food crisis’ because of closure of strait of Hormuz, Yvette Cooper warns

Yvette Cooper, the foreign secretary, has said that the world is “sleepwalking into a global food crisis” because of the ongoing disruption to shipping going through the strait of Hormuz. Gulf states are major global providers of fertilisers and, in a speech to the Global Partnerships conference, Cooper highlighted World Food Programme figures saying that “almost 45 million more people could fall into acute food insecurity if the [Iran] conflict does not end by the middle of this year”.

She said:

The world is sleepwalking into a global food crisis. We cannot risk tens of millions of people going hungry because one country has hijacked an international shipping lane. Iran’s continued closure of the Strait of Hormuz while the agriculture clock is ticking shows why we need urgent global pressure to get the Strait reopened, fertiliser and fuel moving and ease the costs of living pressures. That is why we will continue to lead calls for the immediate and unrestricted opening of the Strait and advance plans for the Strait of Hormuz Multinational Mission to support any agreement.

This crisis is affecting developed and developing countries, the private and public sectors alike. It shows why we need a new approach to global partnerships, to drive international development to prevent crises in the first place.

Yvette Cooper arriving in Downing Street for a cabinet this morning. Photograph: Maja Smiejkowska/PA

Michelle Welsh, the Labour MP for Sherwood Forest, says she has been appointed national maternity adviser to the government.

Andy Burnham will give Josh Simons, who resigned as Makerfield’s MP to free up his seat for the Greater Manchester mayor, a top job in No 10 if he becomes PM, the i’s Kitty Donaldson reports. In her story, she says:

Party sources said if Burnham were successful in his bid for parliament, and then also unseated Sir Keir Starmer as prime minister, Simons would be given the position of head of policy, and a role as a floating political secretary in No 10. The latter post acts as a link between the prime minister, their MPs and grassroots.

Simons told Donaldson the story was “gossip and tittle-tattle” – but he did not deny it.

Donaldson also says in a separate report that Labour expect Reform UK to pick Robert Kenyon as its candidate in Makerfield. Kenyon was the candidate in 2024, when he came second. Donaldson says: “Ten days ago, the Army reservist and plumber won his council seat with more than twice as many votes as his Labour rival. With Reform’s considerable spending power behind him, the Muay Thai kickboxing enthusiast would be a formidable opponent.”

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Driver killed in Bedford train crash named

Published

2 months ago

June 21, 2026

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The family of Shaun Burton, say they are “devastated” by the loss.

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Spain v Saudi Arabia: World Cup 2026 – live | World Cup 2026

Published

2 months ago

June 21, 2026

info@oxinfo.co.uk

Key events

In the opening half an hour against Cape Verde, Mikel Oyarzabal, the centre-forward, did not get a single touch.

Oyarzabal profile

Kyle Green gets in touch: “Your highlighting of Lalas and his absurdity is something that has prevented me from wanting to watch the coverage on Fox. While every channel has its pros and cons I just can’t.

“I’m 45 and probably the youngest of anyone who remembers him as a player instead of an opinionated insert insult here. As for the match this could be more competitive than it looks on paper Spain need a win the pressure is on them. Saudi Arabia could hold out for a draw and see what happens in their last match. “

News from the England camp, and it seems to be good news on Declan Rice.

“I’m ready and fit, raring to go. I was feeling a little bit of neural pain in my hamstring, which I was managing from after Christmas with Arsenal for a very long time. Obviously, not a lot of people would have known that. It was all behind-the-scenes stuff but it was a smart decision.

“In the end, that last 20 minutes is probably where you pick up the most, and it’s where you play a 70-minute match. But that last 20 is where you really feel your body going for it. And I think it was a smart decision because the last few days I felt really, really good.”

Alex Reid has penned today’s weekend special Football Daily.

Portugal v Uzbekistan on Tuesday enticingly pits the incredibly nice, incredibly 41-year-old-superstar-tolerant Roberto Martínez against Fabio Cannavaro, who’s won a Ballon d’Or as a player and the Chinese Super League as a coach. While the fixture following that game really does see the dream of Thomas Tuchel – in his first international job with England – taking on Queiroz, who is in charge of his ninth national side with Ghana.

The expected formations are 4-2-3-1 for Spain, and 5-3-2 for the Saudi Arabians.

The Saudi team features two Donis changes: Ali Lajami, a defender, and Nasser Al Dawsari, a midfielder, are preferred to Mohammed Abu Al Shamat and Mohamed Kanno. You may recall Salem Al Dawsari, the Saudi captain, as the man who scored the winner against Argentina.

An entertaining read, even for those of us who have just seen the clips.

In a conversation where his co-panelist is casually reminiscing about his days playing alongside Messi or exchanging shirts with Ronaldo Nazário at the World Cup, what exactly is Lalas going to talk about – coming on as a second-half substitute for Earnie Stewart in a friendly against Scotland in 1998? Helping the Kansas City Wizards finish last in the 1999 MLS Western Conference? Did Lalas enjoy an elite playing career? No. But does he do the background reading that could compensate for his relative lack of standing in a conversation with titans like Henry and Zlatan? Also no. But is he charming or funny or charismatic or otherwise magnetic on screen? Eh, no.

For the record, I once interviewed Alexi Lalas on the challenge of playing against Romario in the 1994 World Cup. He had this to say:

“He could kill you in so many different ways. If you remember from that World Cup, he scored so many types of goals. That ranged from solo adventures to an outside-of-the-right-foot half-volley off a corner kick. Romario was both the most difficult to play against and the best that I have faced.

“Roberto Baggio was doing his thing, but in terms of consistency and living up to the hype, he [Romario] was the best. As with all stars, there was a moment when the fans sit up in their seats, and that was a feeling I got with Romario. When it got close to him and the potential for his involvement in a play was there, everybody sat up in their seat. They knew that something spectacular would be happening.”

Saturday’s match reports here.

The Saudi Arabia coach, and Blackburn legend, Georgios Donis, spoke about the challenges facing his team: “Spain is not the same ⁠team when Yamal or Williams are on the bench.

“While they still have plenty of possession, they lack the individual one-on-one penetration when these two are ⁠missing. I’m not saying it’s a problem for Spain, but when those players are missing, they play in a different way. We saw this very clearly against ‌Cape Verde.

“We are playing against one of the best teams in the world, and it’s very important that when you play against these kinds of teams, you ‌should enjoy the experience and respect the opponent, but not too much.

“It is very hard for any team playing against Spain to have any time in possession. So what we must do is to be more in control of our movement and compact, and when the ball goes through the lines, be able to defend dynamically.

“It’s nice to see miracles in football, and we’ve seen favourites losing against underdogs. Of course, it’s great for Saudi football to have a great memory of the result against Argentina, but we aren’t drawing anything from that.

“I think we’ll feel more pressure in that [Cape Verde] game than we will against Spain.”

The Spain coach, Luis De La Fuente had this to say in his Saturday press conference: “This generation of footballers is highly competitive and really fired up… It’s going to be a completely different story,” he said at his pre-match press conference on Saturday. There is no drama or crisis. The bottom line is simply that we need to win tomorrow.”

Four changes for Spain: Lamine Yamal, Pedro Porro, Dani Olmo and Alex Baena also come into the side with Marcos Llorente, Fabian Ruiz, Ferran Torres and Gavi dropping out.

The teams – Lamine Yamal starts

Spain: Simon, Porro, Cubarsi, Laporte, Cucurella, Gonzalez, Rodri, Yamal, Olmo, Baena, Oyarzabal. Subs: Raya, Joan Garcia, Pubill, Grimaldo, Eric Garcia, Llorente, Merino, Torres, Fabian, Gavi, Pino, Williams, Zubimendi, Munoz, Iglesias.

Saudi Arabia: Al Owais, Abdulhamid, Tambakti, Lajami, Al Amri, Al Harbi, Nasser Al Dawsari, Al Khaibari, Al Juwayr, Al Buraikan, Salem Al Dawsari. Subs: Al Aqidi, Al Kassar, Majrashi, Yahya, Al Shehri, Al Boushal, Kadesh, Al Johani, Al Ghannam, Al Hajji, Al Hamdan, Mandash, Kanno, Thakri, Abu Al Shamat.

Referee: Raphael Claus (Brazil)

Perhaps one of the Saudi -players can write themselves into this high-grade selection?

Perhaps it can be their goalkeeper.

Al-Aqidi profile

Madrid screening of Spain v Saudi Arabia cancelled due to heat

The public screening of Spain’s World Cup match against Saudi Arabia in Madrid on Sunday has been cancelled because of extreme heat forecast for the Spanish capital, officials said.

The match, due to kick off at 6pm local time on Sunday, had been scheduled to be shown on a giant screen installed by the Spanish football federation (RFEF) at a fan zone in Plaza de Colón in central Madrid.

Madrid city council and the federation decided to cancel the screening after national weather agency AEMET issued an orange heat warning – the second-highest level – for the Madrid region, with temperatures forecast to reach 40C.

“The decision has been taken with the aim of protecting the health of attendees, event staff and support services involved in the event,” Madrid city hall said in a statement, apologising for any inconvenience.

Officials urged supporters to watch the match indoors in air-conditioned spaces and avoid prolonged exposure to the heat.

Large parts of Spain are experiencing unusually high temperatures for June as a mass of hot air from North Africa moves across the Iberian Peninsula.

A total of 13 of Spain’s 17 regions are on orange alert for heat on Sunday, while the northern Basque Country bordering France is on red alert, the highest level.

Authorities advised residents and visitors to take precautions during the heatwave, including drinking water regularly, staying in cool environments, limiting outdoor physical activity during the hottest hours of the day and taking extra care of vulnerable people. AFP

Can Saudi Arabia repeat the magic of 2022?

Argentina arrived in Qatar on a 36-game unbeaten run. When Lionel Messi opened the scoring from the penalty spot after 10 minutes, a comfortable afternoon seemed in the offing. Saleh al-Shehri and Salem al-Dawsari had other ideas, Argentina had three goals disallowed for offside in the space of 13 minutes and the greatest comeback in Saudi Arabia football history was made. Argentina went on to lift the trophy, while defeats to Poland and Mexico meant the Saudis did not reach the knock-out stage.

Unai Simon over David Raya is a controversial choice for De la Fuentes. The Arsenal keeper could lay claim to being Europe’s best this season.

“Those at the Champions League final had a few more days, so I got there on the Wednesday night,” Raya says. “I arrived a bit before Fabián [Ruiz]. I was saying hello to some of the others in reception when he arrived. I went to say congratulations; that was almost the first thing I did. I couldn’t really talk [to him] after the final; I just didn’t have it in me. The next day we talked about the game properly. Just two mates chatting … I was happy for him that he could lift the trophy for a second time.”

A high pressure game for the European champions, as Sid Lowe reports.

“If we had scored one, the game would have changed,” Martín Zubimendi said. Immediately after the game, De la Fuente had offered a simple analysis: when the ball doesn’t want to go in it doesn’t want to go in, he insisted. Spain had racked up 27 shots, after all. Ferran Torres had hit the bar and seen another clear opportunity saved. Vozinha, the 40-year-old goalkeeper who stopped that, saved six more and was named the man of the match. “There’s nothing to reproach the team for,” Rodri said. “We generated chances but couldn’t put it away; the good thing is they created almost nothing.”

We wait to see what role Lamine Yamal will play today. His coach would surely like to be able to use him.

The worst mistake we could make would be to compare him to anyone. He is the midst of a process. He has exceptional footballing maturity and lives it all with total naturalness. He has great serenity and strength. We have to let him follow his path but those players who have something different are ready for that. They’re geniuses, like Dalí [who] can paint a picture, or Michelangelo. They’re different. What is exceptional to us, isn’t to them. In those extremes, they feel comfortable. Why? Because they are different. What we think is exceptional, they consider normal.

Lamine Yamal profile

Preamble

Spain’s campaign did not get off to a flying start, and Luis de la Fuentes may wake up in the night to visions of Cape Verde’s Vozinha. He will have Georgia on his mind ever since Monday. Saudi Arabia are no pushovers and gave Uruguay a scare in their opening match. Memories of downing Argentina four years ago still abound, and so Spain might beware. They can ill afford to go into the final game with Uruguay at a disadvantage. All eyes on Lamine Yamal, whose fitness situation remains opaque, though Spain need their other forwards to come to the party.

Kick-off 5pm UK, 1pm ET, 2am AEST. Join me.

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