Did Mandelson help get Douglas Alexander into trade minister job?

By HANNAH RODGER, SCOTTISH CHIEF REPORTER Published: 19:05, 13 June 2026 | Updated: 19:06, 13 June 2026 Disgraced mandarin Peter Mandelson ‘lobbied’ for Douglas Alexander to get a plum trade minister job after helping him into parliament, several senior Labour figures have claimed. We can also reveal the now Scottish Secretary had a ‘personal’ phone call to talk about work - the exact contents of which is undocumented. Mr Alexander is under mounting pressure to explain how close he was with Mandelson, who was sacked as US ambassador over his links to paedophile Jeffrey Epstein and is now under police investigation. Officers are probing whether the peer leaked Downing Street emails and sensitive information to the millionaire financier. The UK Government released more than 1,300 pages of documents relating to Lord Mandelson’s appointment as US ambassador, including correspondence with Mr Alexander, earlier this month. They show the MP for Lothian East was in regular contact, asking him about policy and trade and even crediting him for his return to Westminster. After his appointment as trade minister on July 6, 2024, Mr Alexander’s first official meeting was with Mandelson’s now defunct lobbying firm Global Counsel. The meeting, which took place on July 31, wasn’t registered until March this year. Douglas Alexander and Peter Mandelson were allies from their previous roles in Government Peter Mandelson was appointed as US Ambassador by Keir Starmer until his links with Epstein were scrutinised Keir Starmer said last week that while the ‘oversight’ was ‘regrettable...I consider no further action to be needed’. Now, several senior Labour sources have said Mandelson was ‘very keen’ for Mr Alexander to get a role within the department for business and trade. One Scottish Labour source said: ‘None of us could understand why Douglas was given the trade role as he didn’t have much experience in that area, but I then found out Mandelson had been lobbying for him with No10. ‘Why would he be going out of his way to do that? And why was he offering so much support to Douglas? He doesn’t do anything that isn’t beneficial for him, so you wonder what he was getting out of the arrangement.’ A second senior Labour figure also believed Mandelson had a hand in Mr Alexander’s appointment and said: ‘Peter mentioned several times that he thought Douglas would be very good on trade, and he was going to mention this to No.10. ‘The next thing Douglas gets the job. I think [Douglas Alexander] was surprised, he probably had no idea what was going on behind the scenes.’ Sources close to the Scottish secretary said he was unaware of any representations being made by Mandelson. Days after the July 4 election Mr Alexander sent a WhatsApp message thanking Mandelson profusely for his help in his electoral success. The message, sent on July 7th, the day after Alexander was appointed minister for trade policy, said: ‘Peter – thank you. (As usual) your judgement was vindicated. You probably don’t realise quite how influential you’ve been in this whole improbable journey.’ He said Mandelson had offered ‘initial encouragement’ two years earlier and ‘quiet and effective support’ during the Labour selection contest. He said: ‘I won’t forget any of it, and yes of course I would value your counsel on Trade.’ Later that month Mr Alexander had a personal phone call with Mandelson, not recorded or minuted, in which he asked for help to identify a trade policy expert. Mandelson offered to introduce him to a former European Commission official who was by then working for his lobbying firm Global Counsel. The full details of the conversation are unknown but government sources confirmed it was a personal phone call. A subsequent meeting with the lobbying firm employee – the first Mr Alexander had in his ministerial capacity – took place on July 31 but wasn’t registered until March this year. Opposition MPs are now calling for Mr Alexander to explain the full extent of his relationship with Mandelson and what else he discussed with the shamed peer using private communication channels. Shadow Scotland Secretary Andrew Bowie said: ‘The Scottish Secretary should come clean on just how close he became with the disgraced Lord Mandelson.’ SNP Westminster Leader, Dave Doogan MP said: ‘These new revelations confirm just how close the relationship was between Douglas Alexander and Mandelson and every new piece of evidence reveals just how deep his rotten influence reached across the entire Labour Party. ‘The longer Douglas Alexander digs in, the deeper his difficulties will become. ‘At this stage of the scandal, I suspect even his “old friend” Peter Mandelson would advise him that he has only one option - do the right thing and resign.’ A spokeswoman for Douglas Alexander said his email exchanges ‘and all other relevant electronic communications were disclosed as part of the humble address process’ and said he had ‘fully complied with the humble address.’ Mandelson’s representatives were contacted for comment. No comments have so far been submitted. 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