'Bereft and beleaguered' - stark criticism revealed in Mandelson messages

Long-awaited documents published by the government have revealed messages between Lord Mandelson and ministers strongly criticising the prime minister, No 10 and Labour MPs. The 1,500 pages cover communications about the appointment of Lord Mandelson as the UK's ambassador to the US - a role he was later sacked from due to his links to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. In one message, Lord Mandelson described No 10 as "beleaguered and bereft" and in need of a "complete revamp". In another exchange, minister Pat McFadden appeared to complain about Labour backbenchers saying: "Every meeting I have is 'who can we tax in order to pay benefits to others'. They're asking the wrong questions." At the time, McFadden was a Cabinet Office minister, however he has since become the work and pensions secretary. A spokesperson for McFadden said: "Pat has said publicly many times that the question we should ask is not what are you entitled to, but how can we change your life? "That has been his whole approach as work and pensions secretary, focusing on how we best spread work and opportunities to young people in particular, rather than writing them off as the previous government did." Respo