Sir Keir Starmer has accused Olly Robbins of deliberately and repeatedly obstructing the truth about the Mandelson vetting scandal, ahead of the sacked official's appearance before MPs on Tuesday. The prime minister admitted in a sombre address to parliament that his decision to appoint Lord Mandelson as Washington ambassador was a 'fundamental mistake', but insisted the Foreign Office was to blame for a 'staggering' failure to brief him on the vetting advice.
Starmer told MPs that the vetting information has now been handed to the Intelligence and Security Committee (ISC), which is expected to assess it before returning it to the government for public release. The Guardian understands this includes a summary document detailing Mandelson's personal life, financial and business dealings, as well as the recommendation that he had failed security vetting. The ISC is likely to push for further information, including an audit trail of who knew what and when.
During a dramatic day in Westminster, it emerged that Starmer has ordered an investigation into security concerns over Mandelson's tenure amid potential leaks. Robbins, the former most senior official at the Foreign Office, did not inform his boss, then cabinet secretary Chris Wormald, about the vetting failure even when Wormald was reviewing the process last September. Simon Case, Wormald's predecessor, had advised Starmer to complete Mandelson's vetting before appointment but was ignored.
Robbins overturned the United Kingdom Security Vetting decision to fail Mandelson just 24 hours later, allowing little time for mitigations. The Foreign Office has since been stripped of this power. Starmer claimed he had not misled the Commons, despite admitting his previous version of events was wrong, saying a 'deliberate decision' was taken to withhold material from him.
Starmer's position puts him on a collision course with Robbins, who is due to appear before the Commons Foreign Affairs Committee on Tuesday. Downing Street is braced for potential revelations that could derail its plan to get the government back on track. Labour MPs have been furious at the resurfacing of the scandal, though many believe Starmer was kept in the dark.
