Lord Peter Mandelson did not have national security vetting before he was appointed as the UK ambassador to the US by Keir Starmer, the foreign secretary has said.
In a letter to the chair of the Foreign Affairs Select Committee, Emily Thornberry, newly-appointed foreign secretary Yvette Cooper said the vetting was done by the Cabinet Office.
Ms Cooper was asked the following: “What security concerns were raised by the agencies undertaking security clearance ahead of Peter Mandelson’s appointment?”
She responded: “The Propriety and Ethics Team in the Cabinet Office (PET) conducted a due diligence process, prior to the announcement of Peter Mandelson’s appointment on 20 December 2024 at the request of No. 10.
“The FCDO was not asked to contribute to that process and no issues were raised with the FCDO as a result of this process. This was not a security check.
“After Peter Mandelson’s appointment was announced, which started the ambassadorial appointment process, including National Security Vetting, in advance of him taking up his post.”
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Davis closes debate with message of frustration
Sir David Davis has closed today’s three-hour debate into the appointment and sacking of Lord Peter Mandelson.
His tone is one of disappointment; Foreign Office minister Stephen Doughty refused to disclose any information about the vetting process for Lord Mandelson, arguing it was confidential.
In closing, Sir David said it was clear that “we’re not going to get the answers”.
“We will return to this matter,” he added.
Ministers could be forced to appear before powerful Commons committee over Mandelson – like Murdoch was over phone hacking, MP suggests
Former Conservative cabinet minister Sir John Whittingdale has suggested MPs could summons ministers who refuse to appear before a powerful Commons committee to answer questions about Lord Mandelson – just like he famously did with Rupert Murdoch more than a decade ago.
Sir John, a member of the Commons Foreign Affairs Committee, said it had tried to question ministers in the Foreign Office and the Cabinet Office over the now ex-ambassador to the US and were told that they were unavailable.
He told the chamber: “I can tell the House that I have had some experience with people who don’t wish to attend before select committees” adding that he hoped if ministers refused to appear the committee would “look to see what other actions can be taken”.
In 2011, Murdoch and his son James agreed to appear before MPs to answer questions on the phone-hacking scandal, after the Commons media committee, which Sir John chaired at that stage, issued summonses when the men initially declined to appear.
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Minister will not disclose details of Mandelson vetting
The foreign minister Stephen Doughty has announced that he will not disclose details of the vetting process for Lord Peter Mandelson as it is “confidential”.
“National Security Vetting is confidential,” he said. “I am not therefore going to depart from that approach today and release personal information about an individual’s confidential vetting.”
Minister answering questions on Mandelson appointment
After more than two hours of questions, a foreign minister is answering the House on why Lord Peter Mandelson was appointed and sacked as the ambassador to the US.
Stephen Doughty MP, Minister of State, is currently addressing the Commons.
‘Don’t patronise me,’ Labour MP tells veteran Tory in tense Mandelson exchange
‘Don’t patronise me,’ Labour MP tells veteran Tory in tense Mandelson exchange
Tice accuses Starmer of misleading the Commons
The Independent’s Political Correspondent Archie Mitchell reports:
Richard Tice has accused Sir Keir Starmer of misleading the House of Commons, a breach of the ministerial code over which he would be expected to apologise or resign.
The Reform UK deputy leader said: “He said two things to the Leader of the Opposition. Firstly, twice, he said he had confidence in Lord Mandelson, and yet he knew the day before, there’s a cache of emails that he didn’t want to know the details of about Lord Mandelson’s links to Epstein and then the day after he fired him. How is it credulous to believe that you can have confidence in a man given those two facts, within a 24 hour period.”
He added: “Even more significantly, the prime minister said that full due process had been followed during the appointment.”
Mr Tice called for Sir Keir to come to the Commons and answer questions on what he knew and when.
Elon Musk never misses an opportunity to attack Starmer
The Independent’s Political Editor David Maddox reports:
With the emergency debate rumbling on over who knew what and when regarding Britain’s recently sacked ambassador to the US Lord Mandelson, Elon Musk has intervened again.
The X owner has not for the first time called for the prime minister resign retweeting a well known social media rightwing commentator.
The original post on X contained one of Sir Keir’s own past tweets when he had told Boris Johnson, “the party is over, resign”.
The same message was now given to Sir Keir. Mr Musk simply reposted it with the word “yes”.
The problem for the prime minister is not Musk though but that a number of Labour MPs are thinking the same thing.
