Overview
- Jess Phillips told presenter Iain Dale at the Edinburgh Fringe on Tuesday that she called in sick to avoid Home Office questions in the Commons about Lord Peter Mandelson because she could not honestly say he was "good at his job."
- Phillips said the episode happened in the week before Mandelson was sacked as ambassador to the United States and that she had threatened to quit Sir Keir Starmer’s government more than once over his appointment.
- Lord Mandelson was removed from the ambassador role after reporting about his historic links to financier Jeffrey Epstein, a controversy that has continued to generate scrutiny of Labour’s judgment and vetting of senior appointments.
- In the same interview Phillips ruled herself out of serving in Andy Burnham’s administration and signalled she may leave politics, a prospect sharpened by her narrow 693-vote hold of Birmingham Yardley at the 2024 election and hostile protests at the count.
- The admission sharpens questions about ministerial accountability and party discipline, and it could intensify internal pressure on Labour leadership as journalists and MPs pursue further disclosures from the Mandelson files.