'Who can we tax to pay benefits to others?' and five other revelations from damning Labour dossier

The documents were ordered to be published by the House of Commons in the wake of revelations about Lord Mandelson’s ties to paedophile financier Jeffrey Epstein.

It is the second batch of files related to Sir Keir Starmer’s decision to give Lord Mandelson the highly sought-after Washington post.

The peer was sacked in December 2025, just nine months into the job, when more details emerged about his friendship with Epstein.

Subsequent revelations in the Epstein files have led to a Metropolitan Police investigation into alleged misconduct in public office.

A friend of Lord Mandelson told GB News that he had not released his WhatsApp messages because his "lawyers were emphatic that nothing should cut across the police investigation".

However, GB News has decided to identify the six most damning revelations from the second tranche of documents.

'Who can we tax in order to pay benefits to others?'

The bombshell dossier revealed Labour was asking how to slap tax hikes on millions of Britons to pay for the country's ballooning benefits bill.

Work & Pensions Secretary Pat McFadden asked: "Who can we tax in order to pay benefits to others?"

Mr McFadden claimed this question was being asked in "every meeting" in Whitehall.

In WhatsApp messages from May last year, Mr McFadden said: "Every meeting I have is 'who can we tax in order to pay benefits to others?'.

"They’re asking the wrong questions.”

McFadden, who was the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster at the time, became Work & Pensions Secretary last September.

The messages also said there was a “lot of manoeuvring here this week. Angela, Gordon. Doesn’t feel good for Keir".

Labour needs to be more 'Trumpian' in power

Lord Mandelson also said Labour needed to be more "Trumpian" in power following Reform UK's victory in Runcorn & Helsby last year.

In a message to Cabinet Minister Pat McFadden, Lord Mandelson said: "I feel it too in the middle of the night here. Morgan [McSweeney] was so confident on Thursday night of having won Runcorn.

"The problem is the Government doesn’t give a sense of crusading to turn round and change Britain. That’s what I mean by panache, verve.

"It does start right from the top, I am afraid, but you must all contribute more to it by breaking out of the Whitehall system and mould and appearing less like business as usual conventional ministers and, dare I say it, behaving in a more Trumpian risk taking and dare devil way.

"At the moment ministers seem to be looking more to the Whitehall machine and the party base than to the public who are crying out for leadership."

Cabinet minister: Labour must 'build bridges' with Muslim voters to stave off Reform 

Environment Secretary Emma Reynolds told Lord Mandelson it was a “big priority” to “build bridges” with Muslim voters.

In WhatsApp messages released between the Environment Secretary and the now-disgraced peer on July 6, 2024, Ms Reynolds said: "I reckon we [won] at least half of the Muslim vote if not two-thirds."

In response, Lord Mandelson said: "That’s good."

Ms Reynolds, who defeated ex-Tory minister Steve Baker to win her Wycombe seat, said: "We had some very tough times – being shouted at on the street in some areas and cars pulling over to shout at us. But lots of Muslims voted for me and did so enthusiastically."

She added in a later message: "Big priority is to build bridges with them."

Wes Streeting was having a 'midlife crisis', Lord Mandelson claimed

Lord Mandelson also suggested Labour leadership contender Wes Streeting was having a "midlife crisis".

In a message to Pat McFadden, the Work & Pensions Secretary, Lord Mandelson explained he had received a "wild, long, hysterical message" about Israel.

He wrote: "By way, I received a wild long hysterical message from Wes about Israel.

"I pushed back. I can forward but reflects pretty badly on his maturity in my view.

"I think Wes is experiencing an early midlife crisis."

Lord Mandelson refused to hand over WhatsApp messages

Lord Peter Mandelson "declined to comply" with an official request to hand over his WhatsApp messages and other information on his personal phone to the Government.

A note on the methodology in the Mandelson files said: "On March 31 the [Cabinet Office] wrote to Peter Mandelson, via his solicitors, to request any information held on his personal phone."

Lord Mandelson declined to comply with this request.

"The Government has no further recourse to search the personal devices of Peter Mandelson."

'You will never regret appointing me', Lord Mandelson told David Lammy

Lord Mandelson wrote that if the Government was "to appoint me, I would make sure you never regret it" weeks before he was announced in the role.

Writing to David Lammy in November 2024, Lord Mandelson said: "I just wanted you to know that if you were minded to appoint me I would make sure you never regret it.

"I fear that navigating Britain’s interests through the Trump administration will require super-human skills and luck and a massive team effort.

"There is so much riding on it, on security and defence, on trade and economy and on the relationship, not to mention China. If we all put our best minds and energy to it, I think we can pull it off but we have to be realistic.

"For me it would be the last thing I do in public life and it would be a huge honour to serve you and the government in this role. So if you are up for it, so am I."

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