Former deputy prime minister Angela Rayner played a pivotal role in the release of the Mandelson files – and may have unwittingly damaged her party by doing so, former deputy cabinet secretary Helen MacNamara has argued.
The second release of files, which was deeply humiliating for the government, came on Monday and included scathing messages between ex-US ambassador Peter Mandelson and MPs calling Keir Starmer’s government "pathetic", "disappointing", and "beleaguered".