Starmer would have blocked Mandelson role over vetting failure, says Lammy
Summary
Keir Starmer would have stopped Peter Mandelson from becoming the UK ambassador to the US if he had known Mandelson failed a security check. The issue caused serious problems, and some top officials, including Starmer, were not told about the failed vetting until recently.Key Facts
- Peter Mandelson was appointed UK ambassador to Washington despite failing a security vetting process.
- Keir Starmer, the UK Prime Minister, said he would have blocked Mandelson’s appointment if he knew about the failed vetting.
- David Lammy, deputy prime minister, said neither he nor Starmer were informed about the vetting failure at the time.
- Oliver Robbins, a senior civil servant, was involved and left the Foreign Office recently amid this controversy.
- Robbins received the vetting result after Mandelson’s appointment was announced and warned of risks.
- There was pressure to confirm Mandelson’s post quickly as Donald Trump was entering the White House.
- Lammy called Robbins an “outstanding” civil servant and expressed surprise at the vetting issue.
- The Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper and Starmer learned about the vetting failure only this week.
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