Energy Secretary Ed Miliband has revealed that he and then-Foreign Secretary David Lammy shared concerns that the appointment of Peter Mandelson as UK ambassador to Washington was risky and could ‘blow up’. Miliband told Sky News on Tuesday that he had discussed the matter with Lammy before Mandelson took up the post.
Mandelson was sacked after nine months in the role following new disclosures about his relationship with the late financier and child sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. The Guardian previously reported that Mandelson had failed his initial security vetting, a decision that was overruled by the Foreign Office, leading to the dismissal of the department’s permanent secretary, Oliver Robbins.
Robbins is due to give evidence to a select committee of MPs on Tuesday, where he is expected to argue that he followed procedures by not disclosing vetting details to ministers and by ensuring Mandelson could be appointed, as desired by Number 10.
Miliband said Mandelson should never have been appointed due to his links with Epstein and his lobbying firm’s business ties with Chinese and Russian companies. He added that he had ‘steered well clear’ of Mandelson since becoming Labour leader in 2010. However, he said the prime minister should not resign over the matter, stating that ‘prime ministers make mistakes’.
Labour MP Sarah Champion told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme that a leadership challenge was ‘the last thing we want’ but acknowledged that Keir Starmer was ‘deeply unpopular’ with the public, though not specifically over the Mandelson issue. She noted that voters were more concerned about events in Iran and rising energy costs.
