One of Sir Keir Starmer’s closest political allies privately backed Tony Blair’s criticism of the government’s North Sea and net zero policies, newly released files have revealed.
Work and Pensions Secretary Pat McFadden described the former prime minister’s intervention as “bang on” in a text exchange with Peter Mandelson following a public row between Sir Tony and Energy Secretary Ed Miliband.
The messages emerged on Monday as part of the UK Government’s release of more than 1,500 pages of emails and WhatsApp messages relating to Lord Mandelson’s time as the UK’s ambassador to the US.
In April 2025, the Tony Blair Institute released a report warning that “phasing out” fossil fuels in the short term or limiting consumption is a strategy doomed to fail.
The former prime minister said the approach to transitioning to a green economy was "not working” and was “inadequate”.
Mandelson criticised Mr Miliband’s response to the paper, describing the Energy Secretary’s behaviour as “stupid”.
“Ed M couldn’t resist yesterday,” Mandelson wrote. “So personal and stupid. If he had played differently it would have had fraction of attention.”
McFadden responded: “Tb content bang on but his office got their timing wrong. Better to have been next week.”
Mandelson went on also to criticise the Energy Secretary’s approach, saying the Government had not “clocked just how central energy supply and costs are to our economic future”, citing the growth of AI and the need for new data centres.
The document release – the largest laid before Parliament since the 2016 Chilcot Inquiry – was demanded by MPs in the wake of Mandelson’s sacking and revelations about his friendship with the convicted paedophile Jeffrey Epstein.
The damning emails and texts paint a picture of a government at war with itself, led by a Prime Minister lacking the flair to tackle the challenges facing Britain.
One of the most headline grabbing exchanges, McFadden complains that the government is too focused on raising taxes to fund welfare spending
McFadden told Mandelson: “Every meeting I have is: ‘Who can we tax in order to pay benefits to others?’ They’re asking the wrong questions.”
The files also contain criticism of Sir Keir Starmer’s leadership, with Mandelson writing that the Prime Minister “lacks verve” and describing the Government as “tone deaf” and “a bit robotic”.