UK Foreign Secretary concerned over delayed ministerial briefing on Mandelson vetting

Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper has expressed extreme concern that ministers were not informed sooner about security vetting issues related to Lord Mandelson's appointment as US ambassador.

The delay in communication has raised questions about the handling of the vetting process within the Foreign Office and the flow of information to ministers.

Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer is facing calls to resign from opposition parties amid the political fallout and is due to answer questions in Parliament on Monday.

The Foreign Office's top civil servant, Sir Olly Robbins, was sacked last week over the matter and is expected to appear before the Foreign Affairs Committee.

Cooper has written to the committee chair, Dame Emily Thornberry, requesting a review to ensure that the information provided to Parliament is fully accurate.

Sir Keir Starmer described it as "staggering" that he was not informed sooner about Lord Mandelson's failure to pass security vetting and has been accused of misleading Parliament after previously assuring that due process had been followed.

Downing Street released an official account of a meeting on 15 April, during which the prime minister said he was informed about Mandelson's vetting issues for the first time.

Deputy Prime Minister David Lammy stated that the prime minister would have blocked Mandelson's appointment had he known about the vetting failure.

Lammy also noted that neither he nor his advisers were informed about the vetting process at the time, citing time pressures on the Foreign Office.

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