UK vetting agency flagged Mandelson's foreign ties

A British government vetting agency raised significant concerns about Peter Mandelson’s associations with senior foreign figures before he was appointed as ambassador to the United States last year, according to newly reported information. The concerns contributed to a decision by the United Kingdom Security Vetting (UKSV) agency to recommend denying him the necessary security clearance, a recommendation that was ultimately overridden.

UKSV’s assessment, detailed in a nine-page summary, highlighted Mandelson’s connections to Chinese Finance Minister Lan Foan, Russian billionaire Oleg Deripaska, and former Israeli military intelligence director Tamir Hayman. The agency noted that Mandelson and Lan Foan spoke several times a year, and that the former cabinet minister had a well-documented friendship with Deripaska. Regarding Hayman, UKSV found the two had bimonthly communications, though a spokesperson for Hayman’s think tank stated he had “no personal connection or familiarity whatsoever” with Mandelson and that Mandelson had only participated in an external advisory framework.

Further concerns involved a £1 million loan Mandelson received from an unnamed businessman to invest in...