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'Staggering' I was not told Mandelson failed vetting, says PM

vetting officers recommended against Lord Mandelson's being appointed as US ambassador, but that recommendation was overruled by the Foreign

Starmer faces Commons showdown over Mandelson vetting scandal

Mandelson was able to take up his role as UK ambassador without the Foreign Office revealing it had overruled the decision to fail his vetting

MPs raise doubts over missing Mandelson vetting documents

overruled by the Foreign Office. [Sources told the Guardian](https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2026/may/27/mandelson-vetting-warned-ties-senior-figures-china-russia-israel) that the vetting summary contained concerns about Mandelson

Starmer’s chief secretary consoled Mandelson after dismissal as US ambassador, undisclosed texts show

Vetting (UKSV), outlining areas of concern over Mandelson’s security clearance. Their initial advice was overruled by the Foreign Office

Key figure in Mandelson vetting scandal will not give evidence before MPs

Foreign Office’s top civil servant who was forced out of his post last week after the decision to fail Mandelson during his security vetting was overruled

Who is ‘cravat man’? Neckwear steals the show in Olly Robbins parliamentary grilling

Foreign Office civil servant, who was forced out of his post after a [Guardian investigation revealed](https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2026/apr/16/revealed-mandelson-failed-vetting-but-foreign-office-overruled-decision) his department overruled a decision to deny Peter Mandelson security vetting

Officials deliberately withheld Mandelson vetting result from me, Starmer says

vetting process should be protected, he rejected the idea ministers could not be told the overall recommendation. The most senior civil servant at the Foreign Office, Sir Olly Robbins, was effectively sacked on Thursday, after

Starmer should face Commons inquiry over Mandelson vetting, says Ed Davey

overruled. On Thursday night, Starmer [sacked Olly Robbins](https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2026/apr/16/foreign-offices-top-civil-servant-olly-robbins-leaves-post-in-mandelson-vetting-row), the most senior civil servant at the Foreign Office. On Friday morning, Darren Jones, the prime minister’s chief secretary, described the controversy

Mandelson received sensitive Foreign Office briefings before vetting finished

overruled a decision to deny Mandelson security vetting clearance](https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2026/apr/16/revealed-mandelson-failed-vetting-but-foreign-office-overruled-decision).  The Metropolitan police asked that emails between Morgan McSweeney (pictured) and Mandelson be withheld. Photograph: GLOBSEC/Getty Images

Starmer rejects calls to quit as pressure mounts over Mandelson vetting

Mandelson failed his [security vetting](/news/2026/4/16/uks-starmer-under-fire-over-report-mandelson-failed-security-vetting) before being appointed UK envoy to Washington, as the United Kingdom prime minister faced renewed calls to resign over the affair. Starmer on Friday maintained that he was kept

Starmer was kept in dark about Mandelson’s vetting by two top civil servants

Foreign Office on Thursday after it was revealed his department granted Mandelson developed vetting clearance against the advice of the relevant agency. Now the Guardian can reveal that two other top civil servants, including

How safe is Starmer’s premiership after his Mandelson vetting statement to MPs?

vetting. Perhaps that is correct. Allies of Starmer insist it is. But there was clearly a pervasive view in No 10 and the Foreign Office that this was an appointment where risks

Ministers speak out in cabinet meeting over Starmer’s sacking of Olly Robbins

Foreign Office’s top official over the Peter Mandelson vetting scandal as they warned him not to [alienate the civil service](https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2026/apr/21/anger-whitehall-civil-service-olly-robbins-sacked-keir-starmer), sources have told the Guardian. Several ministers spoke out about

Keir Starmer says it is unforgivable he was not told Mandelson failed vetting

overruled. It remains unclear who gave the order for the clearance to be granted, though Starmer [sacked Olly Robbins](https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2026/apr/16/foreign-offices-top-civil-servant-olly-robbins-leaves-post-in-mandelson-vetting-row), the most senior civil servant in the Foreign Office, on Thursday night

No, Minister: the week Keir Starmer had his own Sir Humphrey moment

Office’s permanent secretary after not informing him that Peter Mandelson had failed his vetting for the role of ambassador in Washington, appeared before the foreign affairs select committee, as many a civil servant embroiled

Robbins's revelations are a dangerous moment for Starmer

Foreign Office by No 10 officials rather than political figures - although he said they, in turn, must have come under pressure from higher up the Downing Street chain. But given his contention that the pressure

Ministers have no authority to withhold Mandelson vetting file, committee says

vetting file. The prime minister’s decision to appoint Mandelson as ambassador to the US in December 2024 has cast a shadow over his premiership and led to calls for his resignation prior to Labour

Olly Robbins and Mandelson’s vetting: what did he do, why – and who knew?

Office, Sir Olly Robbins – suddenly appeared a little tense. The bonhomie evident in earlier answers had quite disappeared. It was 3 November 2025, and Peter Mandelson had been removed from his post as ambassador