Labour minister rejects tax hikes for benefits amid leaked WhatsApp controversy

Cabinet minister Nick Thomas-Symonds has firmly denied that the Labour Party intends to raise taxes to fund additional welfare benefits, following the public release of private WhatsApp messages between Work and Pensions Secretary Pat McFadden and former US ambassador Peter Mandelson. The texts, which included McFadden’s remark that colleagues were asking “who can we tax in order to pay benefits to others,” were described by Thomas-Symonds as “embarrassing” but confirmed as part of the public domain due to the government’s commitment to complying with a ‘humble address’ motion passed by parliament.

Thomas-Symonds clarified that he did not release his own messages because his personal phone had been stolen, resulting in the loss of data including personal photographs. However, he stated he had verbally summarised his communications with Mandelson to the Cabinet Office. He emphasised that his own correspondence contained congratulatory notes and campaign exchanges, and he expressed support for transparency despite the loss of his device.

Addressing the content of McFadden’s messages, the minister stated it was not his experience that Labour MPs were demanding tax rises to pay for benefits. He highlighted the government’s focus on creating employment opportunities rather than expanding welfare, citing the recent report by former health secretary Alan Milburn on tackling youth unemployment. Thomas-Symonds noted that McFadden’s view has always been to give people opportunities rather than a life on welfare.

The minister also addressed the rising welfare bill, attributing it partly to the increase in the state pension and the government’s commitment to the triple lock. “I am proud that we are doing that, looking after pensioners up and down the country,” Thomas-Symonds said, framing the spending as a commitment to those over retirement age rather than an expansion of welfare for the working-age population.

On the subject of Peter Mandelson’s dismissal as US ambassador following revelations of his association with Jeffrey Epstein, Thomas-Symonds stated he was “absolutely shocked” by the depth of the relationship, which he claimed he was unaware of until disclosed by the US Department of Justice last September. Meanwhile, Shadow Cabinet Office minister Alex Burghart has accused Prime Minister Keir Starmer of failing to disclose the full extent of his own WhatsApp correspondence with Mandelson, alleging gaps and redactions in the released documents.