Sir Keir Starmer was advised that a political appointee such as Peter Mandelson should undergo national security vetting before he was formally appointed, documents uncovered by Sky News show. He is set to make a statement in the Commons later.

Starmer was advised Mandelson should be vetted before appointment, documents show
Sir Keir Starmer was advised that a political appointee such as Peter Mandelson should undergo national security vetting before he was formally appointed, documents uncovered by Sky News show.Sir Keir Starmer was advised that a political appointee such as Peter Mandelson should undergo national security vetting before he was formally appointed, documents uncovered by Sky News show. He is set to make a statement in the Commons later.

In papers published by the government under the terms of the humble address mandating the release of documents, there is a letter from the then cabinet secretary, Lord Simon Case, setting out the process ahead of the appointment.The then top civil servant wrote to the prime minister:

“You should give us the name of the person you would like to appoint and we will develop a plan for them to acquire the necessary security clearances and do due diligence on any potential Conflicts of Interest or other issues of which you should be aware before confirming your choice.”

This note was sent to the PM on 11 November 2024.

Mandelson was announced as the PM’s choice for US ambassador on 20 December 2024, and vetting took place after that.

It has since emerged that Mandelson, who was later sacked from the role after further details emerged about his relationship with the paedophile financier Jeffrey Epstein, failed the process.

However, he was granted security clearance by the top civil servant in the Foreign Office.

Starmer has said he was not told of any issues raised, and will defend himself in the Commons this afternoon.