Guardian investigation uncovers decision by UK security officials to deny clearance before Mandelson took up role as US ambassador Top civil servant Olly Robbins forced out over vetting row Officials debate withholding Mandelson vetting documents from parliament Five key questions: Who overruled the decision to deny Mandelson security clearance? The top civil servant in the Foreign Office has been forced out after a Guardian investigation revealed his department overruled a decision to deny Peter Mandelson security vetting clearance. The departure of Sir Olly Robbins follows the disclosure, based on multiple sources, that Mandelson had in January 2025 failed a developed vetting process, a highly confidential background check by security officials. Keir Starmer had by then announced he would be making Mandelson the UK’s chief diplomat in Washington, posing a dilemma for officials at the Foreign Office, who decided to use a rarely used authority to override the recommendation from security officials. News of Robbins’ departure came after Downing Street spent much of Thursday battling demands for the prime minister himself to resign over the affair. No 10 insisted that the prime minis
Apr 16, 2026 → Apr 22, 2026
Olly Robbins’ meeting with Collard resulted in Mandelson’s security clearance, which is now under intense scrutiny His name was only mentioned twice – and the meeting he had with Olly Robbins may have only lasted 10 minutes. But Ian…
Read original at The Guardian →16 updates from 3 sources over 6 days.
Olly Robbins’ meeting with Collard resulted in Mandelson’s security clearance, which is now under intense scrutiny His name was only mentioned twice – and the meeting he had with Olly Robbins may have only lasted 10…
Read original at The Guardian →PM under increasing pressure over Mandelson vetting scandal as sources say ministers spoke up at tense meeting Keir Starmer is looking increasingly isolated over his handling of the Peter Mandelson scandal with…
Read original at The Guardian →Exclusive: McSweeney summoned by foreign affairs select committee in rare step, as Mandelson vetting row continues Morgan McSweeney is facing a showdown with MPs who will grill him on whether he placed extreme pressure…
Read original at The Guardian →Former Foreign Office top officialâs evidence raises stark issues with âthe systemâ he was seeking to defend The verdict on Sir Olly Robbinsâ parliamentary testimony, among fellow knights of the civil service…
Read original at The Guardian →That is the inescapable conclusion from all we know. I’m fairly sure that had the PM initially heard his full account, he would not have sacked him Simon McDonald was permanent secretary at the Foreign Office from 2015…
Read original at The Guardian →PM to tell Commons he was himself misled and would ‘never knowingly mislead parliament or the public’ Keir Starmer is expected to admit he inadvertently gave MPs misleading information about Peter Mandelson’s vetting…
Read original at The Guardian →Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer is set to face a packed Commons later where he will address questions over Lord Mandelson's vetting. Sir Keir repeatedly told MPs that "full due process" was followed when Lord Mandelson…
Read original at BBC →This live page has now closed - read more on this story here The former top official at the Foreign Office, Olly Robbins, says No 10 had a "dismissive" approach to Lord Mandelson's vetting Robbins was sacked after the…
Read original at BBC →When Keir Starmer was elected Britainâs prime minister nearly two years ago, his promise to a public weary of political scandals and turmoil was that his government would be different. Yet the furor over Starmerâs…
Read original at CNN →This blog is now closed, you can read more on this story here Sir Olly Robbins was âbasically thrown under the busâ as a result of the âbiggest diplomatic crisisâ in over 40 years, according to Simon McDonald.…
Read original at The Guardian →The prime minister will appear before MPs on Monday to explain what went wrong, after it emerged that Lord Mandelson did not pass initial security vetting checks ahead of taking up the role of ambassador to the United…
Read original at BBC →Starmerâs disastrous decision to make New Labour veteran the US ambassador has led to months of political outcry Keir Starmer is facing calls to resign after the Guardian revealed that Peter Mandelson failed the…
Read original at The Guardian →Keir Starmer says it's "staggering" he was not told Lord Mandelson had failed security vetting for his appointment as US ambassador Speaking from a summit in France, the prime minister says he's "absolutely furious" and…
Read original at BBC →Ministers and civil servants face scrutiny after revelation Foreign Office overruled vetting procedure for US ambassador appointment Revealed: Mandelson failed vetting but Foreign Office overruled decision Officials…
Read original at The Guardian →Exclusive: Opinions split on ‘unprecedented’ release of files, despite demand for ‘all papers’ related to ex-US ambassador’s appointment Revealed: Mandelson failed vetting but Foreign Office overruled decision Five key…
Read original at The Guardian →Guardian investigation uncovers decision by UK security officials to deny clearance before Mandelson took up role as US ambassador Top civil servant Olly Robbins forced out over vetting row Officials debate withholding…
Read original at The Guardian →What this story stands on. Tier 0 is a primary record or the subject's own words; higher tiers must be attributed, never stated as bare fact.
Olly Robbins’ meeting with Collard resulted in Mandelson’s security clearance, which is now under intense scrutiny His name was only mentioned twice – and the meeting he had with Olly Robbins may have only lasted 10 minutes. But Ian…
View source →PM under increasing pressure over Mandelson vetting scandal as sources say ministers spoke up at tense meeting Keir Starmer is looking increasingly isolated over his handling of the Peter Mandelson scandal with divisions emerging in…
View source →Exclusive: McSweeney summoned by foreign affairs select committee in rare step, as Mandelson vetting row continues Morgan McSweeney is facing a showdown with MPs who will grill him on whether he placed extreme pressure on the Foreign…
View source →Former Foreign Office top officialâs evidence raises stark issues with âthe systemâ he was seeking to defend The verdict on Sir Olly Robbinsâ parliamentary testimony, among fellow knights of the civil service realm at least, was…
View source →That is the inescapable conclusion from all we know. I’m fairly sure that had the PM initially heard his full account, he would not have sacked him Simon McDonald was permanent secretary at the Foreign Office from 2015 to 2020 The most…
View source →PM to tell Commons he was himself misled and would ‘never knowingly mislead parliament or the public’ Keir Starmer is expected to admit he inadvertently gave MPs misleading information about Peter Mandelson’s vetting when he addresses the…
View source →Tier key: T0 = Primary source · T1 = Wire · T2 = Outlet report · T3 = Commentary
Long-running fight over Trump-backed maps takes another turn as absentee voting is already under way in Missouri. This blog is now closed. Sign up for US Breaking News emails Xi…
The Trump administration’s decision to revoke the visa of a Peruvian judge who sided with a Chinese company in a port dispute puts a new spotlight on the growing US-China rivalry…
As Bosnians vote in an election this weekend, the country is embracing the US president’s family and friends.
Donald Trump and Xi Jinping discuss Taiwan arms sales every time they get together but the American stance on the self-ruled island remains unchanged following the Chinese…
President Donald Trump is expected to name US Director of National Intelligence Jay Clayton as his next artificial intelligence czar, according to a person familiar with the…
A Venezuelan national wanted by the FBI has been sent to the US to face trial, the latest sign of deepening law-enforcement cooperation between Caracas and the Trump…
