Prime Minister Keir Starmer has accused former top civil servant Olly Robbins of deliberately and repeatedly obstructing the truth about the Mandelson vetting scandal, ahead of Robbins' high-stakes appearance before MPs on Tuesday. In a sombre address to parliament, Starmer admitted his decision to appoint Peter Mandelson as US ambassador was a fundamental mistake, but insisted the Foreign Office was to blame for a 'staggering' failure to brief him on vetting advice.
Starmer told MPs that the vetting information has now been handed to the Intelligence and Security Committee (ISC), which is expected to assess it before returning it to the government for public release. The Guardian understands this includes a summary document detailing Mandelson's personal life, financial and business dealings, and the recommendation that he had failed vetting. The ISC is expected to push for further information, including an audit trail of who knew what and when.
During a dramatic day in Westminster, it emerged that Starmer has ordered an investigation into any security concerns over Mandelson's tenure, amid concerns over potential leaks. Robbins, sacked last week, did not tell his boss, then cabinet secretary Chris Wormald, about the vetting failure even when Wormald was conducting a review last September. Simon Case, Wormald's predecessor, had advised Starmer to complete Mandelson's security vetting before appointment, but was ignored.
Robbins overturned the UK Security Vetting decision to fail Mandelson just 24 hours later, giving little time for mitigations. The Foreign Office has now been stripped of this power. Starmer claimed he had not misled the Commons, despite admitting his previous version of events was wrong. He said: 'A deliberate decision was taken to withhold that material from me. This was not a lack of asking. It was a decision taken not to share that information on repeated occasions.'
Starmer's position puts him on a collision course with Robbins, who is due to appear before the Commons foreign affairs committee on Tuesday. Downing Street is braced for any new revelations that could derail its plan to get the government back on track. Labour MPs have been furious at the resurfacing of the scandal, which many see as an unwelcome reminder of the fundamental misjudgment in Mandelson's appointment.
