DOUGLAS Alexander has "no further case to answer" despite failing to declare a meeting with a lobbying group set up by Peter Mandelson, the Prime Minister has said.
The SNP earlier this month demanded the Prime Minister's independent ethics adviser investigate whether Alexander had broken the ministerial code.
The party's Westminster leader Dave Doogan wrote to Sir Laurie Magnus, the prime minister's independent adviser on ministerial standards, asking for an "urgent investigation" into the Scottish Secretary's conduct after files showed Mandelson introduced him to a lobbying firm he set up with links to Russia and China in 2024 and this was not declared until earlier this year.
Papers showed that Mandelson, who was sacked as UK ambassador to the US last year over his links with paedophile Jeffrey Epstein, introduced Alexander to contacts in the Global Counsel lobbying firm he co-founded in 2010.
Mandelson resigned from its board in 2024, but continued to own shares.
An email sent when Alexander was a trade minister in the UK Government showed him thanking Mandelson for the introduction.
Letters have now been published by the UK Government between Alexander and Starmer about the "transparency oversight".
Starmer said it was "regrettable" but has otherwise let Alexander off the hook.
Alexander said in a letter: "On the July 21, 2024 I asked Peter Mandelson, given his experience as EU Trade Commissioner, to suggest the name of a British trade policy expert from his time at the European Commission, with whom I could meet. The name suggested was a former official of the European Commission, working on trade policy, who by that time worked at Global Counsel.
"I passed his details onto my officials at DBT, who facilitated, attended and minuted the subsequent meeting on July 31, 2024.
"The management of my transparency reporting was delegated by me to officials as permitted in the 'Ministers' overseas travel and meetings: Publication Guidance'.
"In March 2026, in the process of complying with the Humble Address, I became aware that this meeting had been omitted from the DBT transparency website and instructed officials to rectify this error."
He added he regretted the "inadvertent" oversight.
Starmer replied: "I am grateful for your swift action to rectify the oversight in declaring the meeting you held on July 31 with someone who at the time worked for Global Counsel.
"While this administrative oversight is regrettable, you acted appropriately when the issue was identified.
"I consider no further action to be needed."
The SNP previously called for Alexander to be sacked as Scottish Secretary after "gushing" WhatsApp messages revealed Mandelson helped him get selected as a Labour Party candidate in the 2024 General Election.
The files showed Alexander was in regular contact with Mandelson ahead of his appointment as the UK's ambassador to the US, despite it being a matter of public record at the time that Mandelson had maintained his friendship with Epstein after his conviction for paedophilia and sex offences.
