David Vance SubstackRead More
So the final tranche of Mandelson WhatsApp messages are released and there is on glaring exchange which tells us ALL that we need to now this wretched Labour Government
In one exchange, Pat McFadden, now Work and Pensions Secretary, said too many meetings were framed around “who can we tax in order to pay benefits to others”, arguing that ministers were asking the “wrong questions.”
These remarks, contained in thousands of pages of material, are awkward for Sir Keir Starmer’s government because they suggest that at least one senior minister privately shared criticism aimed at Labour by its opponents.
Conservatives and Reform have seized on these comments, branding Labour “the welfare party” and using them to attack the government’s priorities. Perfectly right too!
This exchange also echoed one of the most notorious political notes of recent decades. In 2010, outgoing Labour Treasury minister Liam Byrne left his Conservative successor a message saying there was “no money left”, a line that has haunted Labour ever since. McFadden’s comments revive that narrative by portraying the party as entirely focused on redistribution of wealth rather than helping create economic growth. It shows us how deeply red at heart Labour truly is.
The broader correspondence between McFadden and Mandelson paints a bleak picture of the government’s mood. Mandelson said Starmer lacked “verve” and argued the Cabinet needed more “dynamism and can-do optimism.” He also claimed the Prime Minister did not appear to know what he wanted, and said No 10 seemed confused and divided. McFadden, for his part, said there was “lots of manoeuvring” in the party and admitted the atmosphere “doesn’t feel good for Keir.”
All of this is embarrassing because it offers us a candid glimpse of Labour’s internal worries at a moment when the party is under pressure over welfare reform, economic confidence, and factional tensions.
Labour is not on the side of the working man – it is on the side of the feckless.
This is now beyond any doubt!
