politics
Commons Committee Calls Starmer Appointment of Mandelson an Unmitigated Disaster
The Commons Foreign Affairs Committee issued a report criticizing Keir Starmer's appointment of Peter Mandelson as UK ambassador to Washington. It highlighted failures in security vetting and unanswered questions about the process. The Independent reported the findings.
Jul 8, 7:11 PM·1m read1 source
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The Commons Foreign Affairs Committee described Keir Starmer’s appointment of Peter Mandelson as UK ambassador to Washington as an “unmitigated disaster,” The Independent reported. ” The committee also reported no evidence that safeguards officials had said would mitigate risks were ever put in place. The Independent reported that Mandelson failed crucial security vetting.
Starmer sacked him in September after the depth of his friendship with Jeffrey Epstein became clear. Mandelson was arrested in February on suspicion of misconduct in public office. The arrest followed allegations that he leaked sensitive government information to Epstein.
Emails from 2009 released by the US Department of State showed Mandelson sent an assessment by a Brown adviser on an “asset sales plan” to Epstein after the latter became a convicted sex offender. A government spokesperson said politically appointed ambassadors will now undergo security vetting before announcement or confirmation.
The Prime Minister commissioned an independent review of the National Security Vetting system led by Sir Adrian Fulford to ensure lessons are learned.
