Ed Miliband says he and Lammy feared Mandelson appointment could ‘blow up’
Summary
Ed Miliband and David Lammy were worried about Peter Mandelson's appointment as the UK’s ambassador to Washington, fearing it could cause problems. Mandelson was later removed from the job after concerns about his ties to Jeffrey Epstein and security vetting issues came to light.Key Facts
- Ed Miliband and David Lammy talked about concerns before Mandelson was appointed ambassador to Washington.
- Mandelson was removed from the ambassador role after nine months due to new information about his links to Jeffrey Epstein.
- Mandelson failed his initial security check, but the Foreign Office overruled this and allowed his appointment.
- Oliver Robbins, the Foreign Office’s top official, resigned over how the appointment was handled.
- Robbins will testify to a parliamentary committee and is expected to say he followed procedures and acted on instructions from No 10 Downing Street.
- Miliband said he avoided working with Mandelson when he became Labour leader in 2010.
- Miliband does not think the prime minister should resign over this issue, saying all leaders make mistakes.
- Some Labour MPs feel the focus on Mandelson is distracting from bigger issues like Iran and energy prices.
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