Full Breakdown
Jess Phillips says she called in sick to dodge Home Office questions on Peter Mandelson
8/11/2026, 9:10:32 PM
Core Event
During an interview at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival on August 10, former Home Office minister Jess Phillips disclosed that she deliberately called in ill to avoid answering parliamentary questions about Lord Peter Mandelson’s performance as the UK ambassador to the United States. Phillips explained that she could not honestly say Mandelson “was good at his job,” so she pretended to be unwell and later actually fell ill.
Background & Context
Lord Mandelson was removed from the ambassadorship in September 2025 after revelations of historic links to convicted sex-offender Jeffrey Epstein. At the time of Phillips’s admission, Mandelson had not yet been dismissed, and the prime minister was still expressing confidence in him. Phillips, who served as safeguarding minister under Sir Keir Starmer, resigned from that role in May 2024, citing an inability to serve under the current leadership. She also ruled herself out of a potential position in Andy Burnham’s prospective government and hinted she might leave politics altogether.
Official Statements & Responses
In the same interview she reiterated her desire to “live a full life” rather than a “half-life” in politics and said she would not stand for election again if future contests resembled her last campaign.
Data & Statistics
The article notes Phillips retained the Birmingham Yardley seat in the 2024 general election by a margin of 693 votes. The constituency has a 42.6 percent Muslim population, the tenth-highest proportion in the UK.
