Mandelson vetting decision “utterly unacceptable” – chief secretary to PM
With the prime minister in Paris for talks on the opening of the Strait of Hormuz, his chief secretary, Darren Jones, has been taking flak for the Mandelson vetting revelations on the morning media rounds.
Jones has told broadcasters the Foreign Office’s decision to overrule the security vetting findings was “utterly unacceptable”
He said he had ordered an urgent review after discovering that the Foreign Office and other Government departments the right to ignore security advice when appointing people to sensitive roles.
He told Sky News:
double quotation mark It is utterly unacceptable, not just in the individual case of Peter Mandelson and respect of the Prime Minister’s fury at the Foreign Office for not having taught him this information, but the very fact that their processes were in place that allow for that to happen in the first place.That’s why in my role in the Cabinet Office, immediately last night, I suspended the rights for these organisations to make these judgments.
I’ve asked for an urgent review about what decisions these organisations have taken in the past to overrule the recommendations from UK security vetting, and I was due to announce a broader, independent review of the vetting process anyway. And this will now be part of that.
Earlier on ITV’s Good Morning Britain programme, Jones said he had suspended the rights of the Foreign Office to overrule security vetting recommendations. He said:
double quotation mark As soon as I found out last night that the Foreign Office and a small number of other organisations have the right to ignore the recommendation… I immediately suspended those rights and ordered an urgent audit.
Key events
Sir Ed Davey, the leader of the Liberal Democrats, is among voices calling for the PM to go.
He has said even if the prime minister’s explanation – that he was unaware of the Foreign Office’s decision to overrule Mandelson’s failed vetting until this week – is “true”, he should still resign.
Davey also warned that if the PM doesn’t go of his own volition, his party will “take action” in parliament to remove him.
Speaking to BBC Radio 4’s Today programme, Davey said:
double quotation mark I don’t think the prime minister can get out of his responsibility by sacking Olly Robbins – the buck has to stop with Mr Starmer.I think frankly it’s inconceivable on such a sensitive matter the permeant secretary at the Foreign Office wouldn’t have referred to ministers on this.
It’s also a matter of national security, essentially the Foreign Office found that prime minister should not be given top secret information.
Davey said he believed the claim that the prime minister did not know about the Foreign Office’s move until this week was “not credible”.
double quotation mark Let’s imagine they are telling the truth and they did only just learn about this on Tuesday what does that say about the Governmenet and how they operate?It means people around the prime minister were hiding critical information from him and he took this decision without meeting Mandelson, without knowing about his failed security but knowing about Mandelson’s reputation.
I think the evidence suggests he misled the commons and he misled the public that’s against all the rules and that’s why we’ve called for him to go and I think that if he doesn’t go, we’re going to have to take some action in parliament.
Davey likened the scenario to former Conservative prime minister Boris Johnson’s final days in office.
double quotation mark It’s hard to believe it was inadvertent, it stretches credibility, but even if that is a true story it shows there was total negligence and incompetence at the top of his government…The PM held the Conservatives to account when he was in opposition when Boris Johnson was clearly lying over partygate and Keir Starmer called for all the accountability and called for Boris Johnson to go… but I’m afraid now he he has to take his own medicine. All the evidence suggests he has to go.
Mandelson vetting decision “utterly unacceptable” – chief secretary to PM
With the prime minister in Paris for talks on the opening of the Strait of Hormuz, his chief secretary, Darren Jones, has been taking flak for the Mandelson vetting revelations on the morning media rounds.
Jones has told broadcasters the Foreign Office’s decision to overrule the security vetting findings was “utterly unacceptable”
He said he had ordered an urgent review after discovering that the Foreign Office and other Government departments the right to ignore security advice when appointing people to sensitive roles.
He told Sky News:
double quotation mark It is utterly unacceptable, not just in the individual case of Peter Mandelson and respect of the Prime Minister’s fury at the Foreign Office for not having taught him this information, but the very fact that their processes were in place that allow for that to happen in the first place.That’s why in my role in the Cabinet Office, immediately last night, I suspended the rights for these organisations to make these judgments.
I’ve asked for an urgent review about what decisions these organisations have taken in the past to overrule the recommendations from UK security vetting, and I was due to announce a broader, independent review of the vetting process anyway. And this will now be part of that.
Earlier on ITV’s Good Morning Britain programme, Jones said he had suspended the rights of the Foreign Office to overrule security vetting recommendations. He said:
double quotation mark As soon as I found out last night that the Foreign Office and a small number of other organisations have the right to ignore the recommendation… I immediately suspended those rights and ordered an urgent audit.
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:
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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.
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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).
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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.
Pressure on Starmer over Mandelson revelations
Good morning and welcome to the UK politics blog amid the revelation that 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.
Sir Olly Robbins, the UK Foreign Office’s top civil servant, has already been forced out of his post overnight and there are calls from opposition parties for the prime minister himself to resign.
Keir Starmer is in Paris to chair a gathering of world leaders on the opening of the Strait of Hormuz as the revelations sink in in Westminster and Whitehall.
Stay with us for all the developments and reaction.
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