Calls for Peter Mandelson to face inquiry over meeting with government minister

Documents obtained by The Observer under the Freedom of Information Act show that Mandelson, a Labour peer since 2008, held a meeting with recently appointed science minister Patrick Vallance in mid-September last year.

The meeting was declared by Vallance as being held with Global Counsel, the public affairs consultancy Mandelson founded in 2010 and remains a major shareholder of, to discuss “R&D ecosystem and policy”.

Mandelson’s name did not appear on the minister’s register and his connection has not been made public until now.

The pair discussed the government’s digital strategy including RIO, the new Regulatory Innovation Office, which launched one month later. Mandelson also raised concerns about possible cuts to R&D spending and the government’s science and technology framework.

A meeting brief included what progress was being made by the government on AI, quantum engineering and the industry strategy council, as well as university sustainability.

For the quarter covering the period of the meeting, Global Counsel has registered clients including Open AI, Palantir and TikTok.

The two peers had been in communication for many weeks beforehand, with Mandelson using his Global Counsel email account, and sometimes deploying Global Counsel staff, to arrange the meeting. There is no suggestion of wrongdoing by Vallance.

Other parts of the minutes and emails were redacted, with officials using an exemption that allows the government to withhold information related to the formulation or development of government policy.

Mandelson told The Observer: “It is categorically untrue that I represented the interests of any commercial company in any ministerial meeting. I was a member of the Universities UK Commission on the Future of Higher Education, specifically looking at scientific research and development in universities and how government policies should support this. The report is available on the UUK website. This was the sole content for any meetings I held at the time. I do not, and have never, lobbied government on behalf of any commercial interest.”

Asked about the use of his Global Counsel email, Mandelson responded: “I only had one email address. It is not for me how it is registered. The content of the meeting was UUK. I was not representing or promoting any company. To state or imply otherwise would be untrue…”

But Steve Goodrich, head of research and investigations at Transparency International said: “The evidence available provides grounds for the commissioners for standards to investigate.”

He added: “Departmental records uncovered by The Observer suggest Lord Mandelson was lobbying ministers while serving as a peer, a potential breach of parliamentary rules that prohibit Lords from acting as advocates for hire.

“The rules are intended to ensure that lawmakers should serve the public interest, not private clients. When peers use their privileged position and access to influence policy for commercial gain, it corrupts the democratic process and erodes trust in our institutions.”

The New Labour former minister, who was this week sacked as the UK’s ambassador to the US after a previously unknown series of emails emerged between him and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, remains under pressure over his continued peerage. On Friday he was stripped of an honorary doctorate from Manchester Metropolitan University.

The SNP have tabled an early Day motion (EDM) calling on the government to “take legislative steps to remove his peerage” after he had “brought parliament into disrepute”.

Neil O’Brien, Conservative MP and shadow minister for policy renewal, told The Observer: “It’s now clear that he cannot remain a member of the House of Lords.”

Meanwhile two MPs who were suspended from the Labour party have echoed those calls.

Chris Hinchliff, who lost the whip in July after rebelling over the government’s welfare reforms, wrote on X: “While he has rightly been removed as an ambassador, he should also be stripped of his place in the House of Lords. Someone with such flawed judgment should not be involved in shaping the laws of our country.”

Apsana Begum, who was suspended last year after voting against keeping the two-child benefit cap, noted the two-tier system being operated by party chiefs. She wrote: “In February I found out in a news article, that I had not had the Labour whip restored, which was removed for voting to scrap the two-child limit policy. Yesterday, Peter Mandelson was sacked for retaining links to a sex offender, yet he holds the Labour whip and remains a Peer.”

Back in February, Mandelson told the Financial Times he was planning to sell his 28% stake in Global Counsel as a result of being sent to Washington, saying it would be put in a blind trust in the meantime. As well as a major shareholder, he was president and chair of the group’s international advisory board.

At around the same time he went on a leave of absence, meaning he was no longer required to declare his business interests, as he was not an active legislator.

In July it was revealed that he retained a 21% share, worth an estimated £6m.

Photographs by Ben Stansall/AFP via Getty Images, Carl Court/Getty Images