Intelligence Watchdog Says Government Withholding Mandelson Documents Despite Parliamentary Vote

TL;DR: The Intelligence and Security Committee says the government is withholding some Mandelson documents despite a February parliamentary vote to publish them, but the government says it is working to release as much as possible.

Claim: In February MPs voted to force the government to publish all papers relating to Lord Mandelson’s appointment as US ambassador. The vote was delivered via a humble address, a parliamentary mechanism that compels the government to lay documents before Parliament.

Evidence: The humble address motion requested all papers on the appointment, and the government responded by sending sensitive material to the Intelligence and Security Committee for review. The Committee later reported it had finished reviewing redactions on 337 documents and instructed the government to publish them within 28 sitting days. In its statement the Committee said certain documents were being withheld from the process, citing the UK Security Vetting file as a prime example. The government has said it is working to publish as much material as it can as soon as possible, and a first tranche of documents was released in March.

Verdict: Based on the Committee’s statement that documents are being withheld despite the vote, the claim is mostly true.

Analysis: The Committee’s review found that the government had applied broad redactions and had not sought parliamentary approval to retain certain material, which conflicts with the humble address’s requirement for full publication. While the government asserts it is complying and has released a first tranche, the outstanding vetting file and the 28‑sitting‑day deadline show the process is incomplete. Watch for the government’s response to the ISC’s 28‑sitting‑day deadline and whether the withheld vetting file is released.