Missing Mandelson messages from minister Darren Jones revealed

Messages between senior minister Darren Jones and Peter Mandelson have come to light, with the pair criticising Jones's cabinet colleagues.

The chats were expected to appear in the batch of Mandelson files, published earlier this week following MPs' vote to disclose documents relating to the disgraced peer's appointment as UK ambassador to the US.

Lord Mandelson was sacked from that role when the depth of his relationship with paedophile financier Jeffrey Epstein became apparent.

Conversations between Jones and Lord Mandelson did not appear in the 1,500 pages of documents published on Monday, but some messages have been published in the Spectator .

They include messages from Jones praising Lord Mandelson after he was sacked and discussing avenues for promotion within government.

On the day Sir Keir Starmer dismissed Lord Mandelson from his ambassadorial role, Jones wrote: "You've been doing such a great job, and you worked wonders with Trump. I'm so sorry about today."

Messages show Lord Mandelson criticised the government's plans for growth, telling Jones the plans were in the hands of Chancellor Rachel Reeves, then-deputy prime minister Angela Rayner, and then-business secretary Jonathan Reynolds.

Jones, who at that point was Reeves' number two, replied: "It doesn't fill you with confidence."