A former head of MI6 has said it would have been “totally impossible” for the Foreign Office to implement mitigations to manage Peter Mandelson’s associations with senior figures in China, Russia and Israel when he served as UK ambassador to the US. Richard Dearlove, who led Britain’s Secret Intelligence Service from 1999 to 2004, questioned how such mitigations could work, suggesting that restricting the ambassador’s access to certain papers would be unworkable.
Dearlove’s comments follow revelations that security officials recommended denying Mandelson developed vetting clearance in early 2025 due to concerns over his ties to China’s finance minister Lan Fo’an, sanctioned Russian oligarch Oleg Deripaska, and former Israeli military intelligence general Tamir Hayman. The vetting agency also flagged a close relationship with a British individual and a £1m loan Mandelson received for an Israeli startup.
Despite the recommendation, former permanent secretary Olly Robbins granted Mandelson clearance, citing “management actions” to mitigate risks. However, Dearlove said: “The whole thing is completely extraordinary. What mitigations could you put in place? The only mitigations I can think of is that certain papers… cannot be viewed by the ambassador. That would be totally impossible.”
Emily Thornberry, chair of the foreign affairs select committee, expressed anger at the revelations, questioning Robbins’ earlier claim that the case was “borderline”. She said: “It becomes quite clear why UKSV saw [Mandelson] as a subject of concern… It makes Olly Robbins’ assertion… pretty incredible.”
The government is due to publish documents related to Mandelson’s appointment next month, but concerns persist over redactions. The intelligence and security committee has accused the government of withholding sensitive documents. Liberal Democrat leader Ed Davey called the handling “an utter disgrace”, while shadow foreign secretary Priti Patel said the revelations “underline just how reckless Keir Starmer’s decision to appoint Peter Mandelson was”.
