Ethics

UK: Dismissed Official Claims Downing Street Pressured Foreign Office Over Mandelson Vetting

Was the Mandelson vetting scandal a failure of rogue officials or a cover-up orchestrated from the top of Downing Street?

1 day ago·Updated 23 hours ago

UK: Dismissed Official Claims Downing Street Pressured Foreign Office Over Mandelson Vetting

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Above: Olly Robbins leaves Number 10 Downing Street after a Cabinet meeting on March 14, 2019. Image credit: Jack Taylor/Getty Images

The Spin

Pro-government narrative

Olly Robbins is a deeply respected public official with a long history of service, but his decision not to inform any member of Cabinet or Downing Street that Mandelson had failed his security assessment was a clear error of judgment that could not be ignored. Starmer has shown real leadership by owning up to his mistakes and ensuring that such a hole in vetting can never happen again.

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Government-critical narrative

Downing Street created an atmosphere of pressure that made proper vetting of Mandelson nearly impossible, having already started as ambassador before the process even finished. Robbins' account makes clear that Downing Street was dismissive of the vetting from the start, fast-tracking a politically connected appointment regardless of the risks. Starmer's scapegoat will not cut it — his premiership is all but over.

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