Downing Street has confirmed that Sir Keir Starmer uses a disappearing message feature on WhatsApp, meaning conversations between the prime minister and Lord Peter Mandelson may have been deleted and lost.
No 10 confirmed on Tuesday that the prime minister has the controversial feature turned on, but insisted Sir Keir uses it in line with guidance stating that it is permitted as long as it “does not impact record keeping or transparency responsibilities”.
But the admission has raised questions about how many messages between Sir Keir and the former Labour peer may be missing from the latest tranche of the Mandelson files, released on Monday.
Speaking on Tuesday afternoon, Sir Keir Starmer insisted he has “complied” with requests to reveal his correspondence with Lord Mandelson, saying he “went through the same process as everybody else”.
“Let me assure you I have complied with the humble address”, the PM told broadcasters. “All the messages I hold have been passed over. I went through the same process as everybody else. And many people, not just in politics, use disappearing messages.”
It came after his official spokesperson said: “The prime minister does use disappearing messages. As you’ll be aware, some ministers do use that function in line with the government’s advice on non-corporate communications channels.”
WhatsApp allows users to set messages to automatically vanish after 24 hours, seven days, or 90 days, meaning past exchanges between the prime minister and Lord Mandelson would now be unrecoverable.
The Tories said they would “continue pressing for the truth” after Sir Keir’s use of disappearing messages emerged.
“Government guidance is clear: significant information and decisions must be properly recorded and preserved. But Keir Starmer’s messages to Peter Mandelson have been disappeared or destroyed,” Alex Burghart, shadow chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, said.
“The Conservatives have forced the government to hand over hundreds of documents that show just how shoddy Starmer’s government is. It’s clear even more have vanished.”
There was only one page of messages between Sir Keir and Lord Mandelson – sent on iMessage rather than WhatsApp – included in Tuesday’s release.
The disgraced peer offered advice during the 2024 general election campaign and Sir Keir’s first days in office, and also set up a meeting between Sir John Major and the prime minister.
On 27 June 2024, Lord Mandelson texted Sir Keir advising him to focus on a message of “what unites us” in the final week of the campaign. Sir Keir replied: “Thanks Peter. That theme of unite not division is very powerful. People are fed up with politics treading too heavily on their lives. How did Bury seem to you?”
On 17 July, weeks after Sir Keir became prime minister, Lord Mandelson texted him to say he had “got off to a flying start”, and advised him to invite Sir John for a chat after he had dinner with him.
Sir Keir replied: “Thanks Peter. It’s so good to be getting on with the job of governing. A million times better than opposition – you know that! I’ll reach out to John M, he’s a very thoughtful man. See you soon I hope.”
Downing Street said that, although disappearing messages could be used in line with government guidance, lessons on record keeping would be learnt going forward.
The spokesperson added: “The prime minister has fully complied with humble address by providing all information he holds.”
The government is facing humiliation after it released a second tranche of more than 1,000 pages of documents related to Lord Mandelson’s appointment as US ambassador.
The documents – which include thousands of previously private messages between figures at the heart of government and Lord Mandelson – lay bare Lord Mandelson’s damning opinion of the government, as he warned that Sir Keir’s Downing Street operation was “beleaguered and bereft”.
Lord Mandelson himself “declined to comply” with a request to hand over his personal phone and allow the government to publish WhatsApp messages and other information related to his appointment, the documents showed.
Other messages revealed infighting within the Labour Party, with the work and pensions minister Pat McFadden having criticised Labour MPs in messages to Lord Mandelson.
Mr McFadden criticised the Parliamentary Labour Party, telling Lord Mandelson: “Every meeting I have is ‘who can we tax in order to pay benefits to others’. They’re asking the wrong questions.”
The prime minister’s spokesperson insisted on Tuesday that Sir Keir remains confident in Mr McFadden.
