Olly Robbins refused to hand Mandelson vetting summary to Cabinet Office, says Cat Little
Little said UK Security Vetting recommended against clearance, but the Foreign Office approved Mandelson after a process she said followed the rules.
- On Thursday, Cabinet Office Permanent Secretary Cat Little told the Foreign Affairs Committee she acted "swiftly and effectively" after discovering Lord Mandelson received security clearance despite vetting officials recommending against it.
- Little bypassed former Foreign Office chief Sir Olly Robbins to request vetting information directly, describing her decision as "very unusual," after he refused to share details about the controversial appointment.
- Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer insists "due process" was followed regarding Lord Mandelson's appointment, though Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch accused him of misleading the Commons, prompting calls for a Privileges Committee referral.
- While reports suggest a Cabinet split over the scandal, Home Office Minister Alex Norris dismissed these claims as "a load of guff," citing recent Government action on NHS waiting lists.
- Starmer's leadership faces further scrutiny as former chief of staff Morgan McSweerey prepares to appear before the Foreign Affairs Committee next week, while Labour MPs weigh options following May's local elections.
17 Articles
17 Articles
Jon Trickett MP: The Mandelson vetting scandal exposes something much deeper about how the government is run
Jon Trickett is the Labour MP for Normanton and Hemsworth This week, the Prime Minister explained his decision to sack Sir Olly Robbins, Permanent Secretary of the Foreign Office, due to his decision to grant Peter Mandelson security clearance. His speech to the House of Commons focused on the process behind the appointment of Mandelson. But there is another model for how a Prime Minister should operate. Having worked in No. 10 as Parliamentary …
What Mandelson vetting row reveals about escalating tensions between ministers and civil servants
Nigel Harris/ShutterstockKeir Starmer’s decision to fire Foreign Office chief Olly Robbins has contributed to “one of the worst crises in relations” between ministers and civil servants in modern times. The words of former cabinet secretary Gus O'Donnell, writing after Robbins was sacked for declining to inform Starmer that Peter Mandelson failed vetting for his ambassador role, are a stark warning for the prime minister. Such a crisis has been …
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