Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper said she is “extremely concerned” that ministers were not informed sooner about issues arising in the security vetting process for Lord Mandelson’s appointment as UK ambassador to the US.
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer faces calls to resign from opposition parties and will be questioned in Parliament on Monday. The Foreign Office’s top civil servant, Sir Olly Robbins, who was sacked last week over the matter, is expected to appear before the Foreign Affairs Committee the following day. Ahead of that appearance, Cooper wrote to committee chair Dame Emily Thornberry asking for a review of the information provided to the committee to ensure it is “fully accurate”.
Cooper wrote: “I am extremely concerned about information that has now come to light and the fact that it was not previously provided to ministers – which has in turn affected information given to Parliament.”
Sir Keir said he was “staggered” he had not been told sooner that Lord Mandelson had failed security vetting. He had earlier told the Commons that due process had been followed and has been accused of misleading Parliament. Downing Street released an official account of a meeting on 15 April during which the prime minister says he was informed about the vetting for the first time.
Deputy Prime Minister David Lammy told the Guardian he had no doubt the PM would never have appointed Lord Mandelson had he known the vetting had failed. Lammy, who was foreign secretary at the time, said neither he nor his advisers were informed about Mandelson’s vetting then, though he acknowledged some “time pressures” on the Foreign Office to confirm the appointment ahead of Donald Trump’s return to the US presidency. Lammy said he was “surprised and shocked” by Sir Olly’s departure and described him as an “outstanding” civil servant.
Sir Olly, who had been the most senior civil servant at the Foreign Office for two weeks when Mandelson was picked for Washington, was asked to appear by Dame Emily after developments last week “called into question” evidence he had previously given to the committee. BBC News understands Sir Olly has not formally accepted the invitation but friends say he was preparing to appear on Tuesday. He has been defended by former permanent secretary Lord Simon McDonald, who said Sir Olly was “thrown under the bus”. Those close to Lord Mandelson called Sir Olly’s sacking “egregious”.
Vetting for government roles is carried out by an agency overseen by the Cabinet Office, which reports back to hiring departments with recommendations. BBC News understands the vetting report returned a “no” verdict on whether Lord Mandelson should be granted security clearance to access sensitive government material. Mandelson formally took up the ambassador post in February 2025 and was removed last September after further details emerged about his ties to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
It emerged that Cabinet Secretary Antonia Romeo learned of Mandelson’s vetting failure in late March but investigated the circumstances and legal implications before informing the prime minister. The Cabinet Office said senior officials “did the right thing” and had taken “urgent steps” to update the prime minister.
Writing in the Mail on Sunday, Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch accused Sir Keir of letting others take the fall while he clings to power and branded him “unfit to run the country”, saying: “This is not just a political failure. It is a moral one. He has put our national security at risk… he should resign.” Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey called for the Privileges Committee to investigate whether the prime minister intentionally misled Parliament. The SNP, Green Party and Reform UK have also called for Sir Keir to resign.
