Memo Confirms Starmer Unaware of Mandelson Vetting Override

Downing Street released a government document on Friday night that supports Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer's claim that he was unaware until Tuesday evening that Foreign Office officials had overruled a security vetting recommendation to clear Peter Mandelson for the role of UK ambassador to the United States.

The memo, detailing a meeting among the country's top civil servants, indicates that Starmer learned of the decision during the Tuesday discussion. It attributes responsibility for granting Mandelson developed vetting clearance to Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) officials, who exercised departmental discretion despite the initial advice from the United Kingdom Security Vetting (UKSV) agency against approval. The document, in the form of an email from Starmer's principal private secretary Dan York-Smith dated Wednesday, states that Starmer had no prior knowledge of the override or even that such a step was possible.

The release comes amid growing scrutiny over Mandelson's appointment, a political choice rather than a diplomatic one. Mandelson, a former Labour cabinet minister, was dismissed from the Washington post last September after further details...