THE ROW over Peter Mandelson has escalated after the Welsh Government cleared its own dealings with the Labour grandee — as UK Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch accused Prime Minister Keir Starmer of “lying” about him.
First Minister Eluned Morgan ordered a review into communications between Welsh Government officials and Mandelson following pressure from Plaid Cymru leader Rhun ap Iorwerth.
The investigation examined all correspondence — as well as material from documents linked to Jeffrey Epstein — and concluded there was “nothing which represented a risk to the conduct of Welsh Government business.”
But the findings come as Mandelson is once again at the centre of a growing political storm in Westminster.
Westminster clash
Speaking on LBC, Badenoch claimed Starmer had misled Parliament over Mandelson, saying: “This is a man who tells lies at PMQs… just like he did with Peter Mandelson when he said, ‘I didn’t know the full extent of his relationship’, and the papers… showed the opposite.”
While such language would be ruled out of order in the Commons, the accusation marks a significant escalation in political rhetoric around the issue.
Labour has not yet responded to the claims.
Questions remain
In Wales, ministers insist the matter has been fully examined and closed.
However, the Welsh Government has not published the underlying correspondence reviewed, nor detailed the extent of any contact with Mandelson.
That lack of transparency may leave the door open to further scrutiny — particularly given the wider controversy now unfolding at UK level.
Political risk
Although no wrongdoing has been identified, the timing is sensitive.
With the Senedd election approaching, any perceived links — however indirect — to a figure caught up in a Westminster row involving Epstein-related material could prove politically damaging.
Opposition parties are likely to argue that the issue is no longer just about internal processes, but about public trust.
For now, the Welsh Government is standing by its findings.
But as the row intensifies in Westminster, the Mandelson question may not be going away any time soon.
