New Mandelson revelations cast doubt on claim vetting decision was borderline, Thornberry says – as it happened

This blog is now closed, you can read more on this story here Emily Thornberry, the Labour chair of the Commons foreign affairs committee, has said that the latest revelations in the Guardian about why UK Security Vetting did not think Peter Mandelson should be cleared to become ambassador to the US (see 2.42pm) make it hard to believe the claim that the vetting decision was “borderline”. The final decision about whether or not Mandelson should get vetting approval was taken not by UKSV, who only made a recommendation, but by Olly Robbins, permanent secretary at the Foreign Office. Last month Robbins told MPs that, given the decision was “borderline”, he accepted it should be allowed subject to certain mitigations being put in place. double quotation markIt makes me very angry that the security of our country seemed to be of so little importance to those pushing for, or those being pushed to approve, the appointment of Mandelson. It becomes quite clear why UKSV saw him as a subject of concern who shouldn’t be granted clearance. It makes Olly Robbins’ assertion that he understood the recommendation to be “borderline” pretty incredible. It also makes one think again a