Olly Robbins’ account of Mandelson vetting piles pressure on Starmer
Summary
Olly Robbins, a former top UK civil servant, said that Downing Street pressured officials to approve Peter Mandelson as ambassador to Washington despite security concerns. Robbins granted Mandelson security clearance without full information, amid strong expectations to quickly place him in the role.Key Facts
- Olly Robbins testified that Downing Street pressured the civil service to approve Peter Mandelson’s ambassador appointment.
- Mandelson accessed sensitive areas and briefings before getting security clearance.
- Robbins granted clearance without seeing the full vetting report that recommended denial.
- Robbins was not fully informed about security concerns but approved clearance due to high pressure.
- The Prime Minister and his aides were not told about the security vetting concerns.
- Senior government officials disagreed publicly about releasing documents related to Mandelson’s vetting.
- Labour MPs criticized Starmer for personally appointing Mandelson to a sensitive diplomatic job.
- The Intelligence and Security Committee is reviewing related documents but lacks access to some key papers.
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