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Foreign secretary concerned ministers not told of Mandelson vetting fears sooner

scandal 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 face MPs on the Foreign Affairs Committee the following

Mandelson scandal is biggest crisis for diplomatic service in decades, says ex-Foreign Office chief

scandal is the biggest crisis for the diplomatic service in decades, a former Foreign Office chief has said. Sir Simon McDonald, who was the permanent under-secretary of the government department until 2020, has spoken

Starmer would have blocked Mandelson role over vetting failure, says Lammy

clearance. He will face MPs on Monday as he attempts to limit the damage to his premiership. Lammy, the deputy prime minister, told the Guardian he had been [“shocked and surprised](https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2026/apr/18/pure-shock-how-ministers-reacted-to-revelation-of-mandelson-vetting-failure)” when