Wolverhampton MP Pat McFadden defends his comments in Mandelson texts

A Black Country MP whose text messages to disgraced peer Peter Mandelson revealed divisions within the parliamentary Labour party has defended his comments in the wake of their publication.

Wolverhampton South East MP Pat McFadden had complained to Lord Mandelson that backbench Labour MPs just wanted to know ‘who can we tax in order to pay benefits to others’.

His comments have been reported as highlighting tensions between the Government and Labour MPs during last year’s rebellion on the Welfare Reform Bill.

But Mr McFadden, who was Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster at the time of the exchanges last year, said that the comments reflected concerns he had openly expressed in public.

A spokeswoman for Mr McFadden, who is now Work and Pensions Secretary, 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.”

She said Mr McFadden had fully complied with the Humble Address tabled by opposition leader Kemi Badenoch, which required the Government to release documents relating to the appointment of Peter Mandelson as Britain’s ambassador to the US.

“His only contact with Peter Mandelson since he left government has been to urge him to think about the victims in all this and apologise to them,” she added.

He has been backed by Cabinet Office minister Nick Thomas-Symonds, who described him as a ‘diligent, committed minister’.

Mr Thomas-Symonds said Mr McFadden’s views on social security and welfare ’are very well known and consistent’.

The details of Mr McFadden’s frustrations emerged in WhatsApp messages exchanged with Lord Peter Mandelson which were released on Monday.

Mr Thomas-Symonds said: “Pat’s view has always been that it is not about benefits, that is not where the debate should be. The debate should be about opportunity, and indeed that is what he has been working on.”

Mr McFadden was among ministers attended a meeting of Sir Keir Starmer’s cabinet in Downing Street yesterday. Clutching a ministerial folder, he declined to comment as he arrived for the meeting, held as pressure on the Prime Minister continued.