Work and Pensions Secretary Pat McFadden told Peter Mandelson that Labour MPs always ask “who can we tax in order to pay benefits to others”
The comments are included in the latest tranche of Peter Mandelson released this afternoon in a Cabinet Office note
This was released alongside the 1,500 pages of documents covering Mandelson’s time as our ambassador in Washington
A McFadden spokesperson 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.”
On another occasion discussion Labour’s losses following the May 2025 local elections, Pat McFadden asked Mandelson:
“What do we actually do”.
He responded: “It stems from the top and Keir lacks verve as does the cabinet as a whole.” In a later exchange, from July, Mandelson described No 10 as “beleaguered and bereft” adding that it needs a “complete revamp”.
Mandy also accused Wes Streeting of having a ‘midlife crisis’ over Israel and of Kier
Starmer, he said the PM ‘lacks verve’ and that No. 10 needed a ‘complete revamp’.
Tory leader Kemi Badenoch said:
“They are no longer the Labour Party, they are the Welfare Party. It doesn’t matter who is in charge of these people, the party for Benefits Street will tax us all into poverty to pay for more welfare.
“Pat McFadden has said in private what he and the Prime Minister deny in public. As I’ve said repeatedly, Labour MPs don’t understand where money comes from. They think our taxes are their money to spend, rather than the result of the hard work of the people in our country who deserve so much better.
While Greater Manchester’s Mayor and by election candidate Andy Burnham said
Today’s revelations will further damage people’s confidence in our political system.
When I left Westminster 10 years ago,
I did so in the belief that it needed fundamental culture change. I remain of that view and believe that change can’t come soon enough.
People have lost faith in a Westminster system which puts private vested interests above the wider public interest and concentrates too much power in too few hands.
We urgently need a national politics which, rather than looking past places like Makerfield, properly works for them.
We need a new political culture that is rooted in accountability and a genuine focus on the priorities of working people.
If we are serious about restoring trust in politics we must rebuild a system where public service is at the heart of decision-making.
