Minister defends Starmer amid Mandelson revelations, saying vetting decision ‘utterly unacceptable’ –

 

Politics

Minister defends Starmer amid Mandelson revelations, saying vetting decision ‘utterly unacceptable’ – UK politics live

23m ago

07.37 BST

https://www.theguardian.com/politics/live/2026/apr/17/peter-mandelson-keir-starmer-olly-robbins-vetting-foreign-office-latest-news-updates?filterKeyEvents=false&page=with%3Ablock-69e1d3118f0802e30ef2de0b#block-69e1d3118f0802e30ef2de0b

 

What you need to know

The story about Mandelson’s vetting moved quickly overnight so here are the key developments you need to know about:

 

Yesterday evening, the Guardian exclusively revealed Peter Mandelson failed his security vetting clearance but the decision was overruled by the Foreign Office to ensure he could take up his post as ambassador to the US. According to multiple sources, Mandelson was initially denied clearance in late January 2025 after a developed vetting process, a highly confidential background check by security officials. Keir Starmer had by then announced he would be making Mandelson the UK’s chief diplomat in Washington, posing a dilemma for officials at the Foreign Office, who decided to use a rarely used authority to override the recommendation from security officials.

 

The Guardian also revealed that senior government officials have been considering whether to withhold from parliament sensitive documents that show Mandelson failed the security vetting checks. Any such decision could amount to an extraordinary breach of a parliamentary vote, known as a humble address, that ordered the release of “all papers” relevant to Mandelson’s appointment. According to multiple sources, officials across government have been in dispute over whether to release documents that would reveal those facts, and other information about Mandelson’s security vetting, to the parliamentary intelligence and security committee (ISC).

 

The Guardian understands that Starmer – who insiders said was furious – first learned that Mandelson had failed security vetting on Tuesday this week, while then foreign secretary David Lammy learned about it when the Guardian broke the story two days later. Late on Thursday, Sir Olly Robbins, the UK Foreign Office’s top civil servant, has been forced out of his post over the decision. Robbins was the Foreign Office’s most senior official in late January 2025 when the decision was made, paving the way for Mandelson to become the US ambassador.