Five things we learned from Cat Little’s evidence to MPs about the Mandelson saga
Summary
Cat Little, a senior civil servant, gave evidence about the Peter Mandelson vetting controversy to a government committee. She revealed new details about government handling of Mandelson’s security clearance and noted missing records of key decisions.Key Facts
- Olly Robbins, a former senior official, refused to share a summary explaining why Mandelson was initially denied vetting clearance with Cat Little.
- The Foreign Office started talks about whether Mandelson, as a House of Lords member, needed full security vetting.
- No official paper record was found showing Prime Minister Keir Starmer approved Mandelson’s appointment.
- Four days after Mandelson was dismissed, the Foreign Office asked for documents related to his security vetting.
- The vetting summary document is about 10 pages long, suggesting it contains detailed information.
- Cat Little had to request the vetting summary directly from UK Security Vetting due to resistance from the Foreign Office.
- The government used a “humble address” motion in Parliament to gather documents related to the case.
- A debate existed within the government over the need for Mandelson’s vetting, described as a “policy conversation.”
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