The SNP have called for an investigation into messages and meetings which were not disclosed in more than 1,000 pages of documents relating to Peter Mandelson published earlier this week.
The move comes after The Spectator published a number of messages from Chief Secretary to the Treasury, Darren Jones, including one where he told Lord Mandelson he was “so sorry” on the day he was sacked as US ambassador over his links to Jeffrey Epstein.
The senior minister said: “You’ve been doing such a great job, and you worked wonders with Trump. I’m so sorry about today.”
More than 1,000 pages of documents were released this week, but the omission of some messages has raised the use of disappearing messages among senior Government figures.
SNP Westminster leader Dave Doogan has pushed for an investigation into the issue.
“The Peter Mandelson scandal looks increasingly like a Labour Party cover-up – and it stinks,” he said.
“It’s now clear that the most senior members of the Labour Government have failed to publish key messages with Lord Mandelson – and have failed to declare secret meetings with him and his lobbying firm, Global Counsel.
“This isn’t just embarrassing for them, it looks like a clear breach of the ministerial code and UK lobbying laws – and it shows that Mandelson was pulling the strings of the Labour Government.
“The disgraced Labour Party peer should never have been allowed anywhere near power.
“It is deeply inappropriate that Mandelson was pushing his own business interests in government – and treating Labour Party ministers like his personal puppets and pawns.”
It comes after the party wrote to the Prime Minister’s ethics adviser, Sir Laurie Magnus, about a meeting between Scottish Secretary Douglas Alexander and Global Counsel.
Mr Doogan added: “There must now be a full probe into why Government ministers failed to publish their exchanges with Mandelson, and failed to declare meetings they held with him, his lobbying firm and clients.
“It shows, once again, just how broken the Westminster system is – and the scale of the clear-out needed right across the scandal-hit Labour Government.”
The UK Government has been contacted for comment.
