Peter Mandelson utilized a tracking service to send links to current Cabinet ministers during a covert Labour campaign effort, as revealed in recently disclosed government documents. The documents also unveil Mandelson’s involvement in seeking a Labour victory in the Oxford University Chancellor election by distributing trackable URLs created through Grabify, an online service capable of recording user data like IP addresses. Serving ministers like Justice Secretary Shabana Mahmood, pensions minister Torsten Bell, Labour Party chair Ellie Reeves, and Foreign Office minister Stephen Doughty were among the recipients of these links.
The released documents, comprising numerous pages of WhatsApp chats, emails, and official correspondence, were made public following a House of Commons Humble Address related to Mandelson’s tenure and subsequent departure as Britain’s ambassador to the United States. They depict Mandelson’s coordination of a voter turnout initiative in the lead-up to the 2024 election season, while he was still the chairman of lobbying firm Global Counsel and months before his ambassadorial appointment.
Mandelson encouraged ministers to register for voting, engage other Oxford alumni, and disseminate campaign messages within alumni networks. The campaign’s political nature was evident in Mandelson’s communications, urging supporters to recruit fellow graduates to back a progressive candidate in the Chancellor election, emphasizing the opportunity for a Labour figure to secure victory against traditionally Conservative-leaning candidates.
Notably, the official Oxford University registration link initially provided by Mandelson to ministers was later replaced with a trackable Grabify link like “OPKKPP,” redirecting users to the same registration page but through a third-party URL. This substitution of links raises questions about the use of a third-party platform in place of the university’s official link, especially after the initial circulation of the genuine registration page.
The documents highlight the tactics employed in Mandelson’s campaign, relying on ministers and Labour networks to mobilize support for what he described as Labour’s promising chance to win the Oxford Chancellor election. The release of these documents coincided with the Government’s response to a House of Commons Humble Address related to Lord Mandelson’s diplomatic appointments. The Mirror sought a comment from Peter Mandelson on the matter.
