Foreign secretary concerned ministers not told of Mandelson vetting fears sooner

Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper has said she is "extremely concerned" ministers were not told sooner about issues raised in the vetting process to appoint Lord Mandelson as US ambassador.

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

The Foreign Office's top civil servant Sir Olly Robbins, who was sacked last week over the matter, is expected to face MPs on the Foreign Affairs Committee the following day.

Ahead of that appearance, Cooper wrote to committee chair Dame Emily Thornberry, saying she had asked for a review of the information given to the committee to ensure it is "fully accurate".

She wrote: "I am extremely concerned about information that has now come to light and the fact that it was not previously provided to ministers - which has in turn affected information given to Parliament."

Sir Keir has said it was "staggering" he had not been told sooner that Lord Mandelson had failed security vetting. He had previously told the Commons due process had been followed and has been accused of misleading Parliament.

On Friday evening, Downing Street took the unusual step of releasing an official account of the meeting on 15 April during which the prime minister has said he was informed about Lord Mandelson's vetting for the first time.

Deputy Prime Minister David Lammy told the Guardian that the prime minister would have blocked Lord Mandelson's appointment as US ambassador had he known that he had failed the security vetting.

"I have absolutely no doubt at all, knowing the PM as I do, that had he known that Peter Mandelson had not passed the vetting, he would never, ever have appointed him ambassador," he said.

Lammy, who was foreign secretary at the time, added that neither he nor his advisers had been told about Lord Mandelson's vetting process at the time, but conceded there were some "time pressures" on the Foreign Office to confirm him ahead of Donald Trump's return to the US presidency.

On the departure of Sir Olly, Lammy said he was "surprised and shocked" by the news, calling him an "outstanding" civil servant.

Sir Olly had been the most senior civil servant at the Foreign Office for two weeks when it was announced Lord Mandelson had been picked for the Washington role.

His scheduled grilling by the Foreign Affairs Committee comes after Dame Emily requested his appearance on Friday, saying developments last week "called into question" evidence he previously gave to the committee.

BBC News understands Sir Olly has not formally accepted the committee's invitation, but friends of his said he was preparing to appear on Tuesday.

Sir Olly has been defended by some with Lord Simon McDonald, who was permanent secretary between 2015 and 2020, telling the BBC he was "thrown under the bus".

The BBC also understands that those close to Lord Mandelson believe the sacking of Sir Olly as permanent secretary is "egregious".

Vetting of government employees and appointees is carried out by an agency overseen by the Cabinet Office, which reports back to hiring departments with recommendations.

BBC News understands the vetting report returned a "no" verdict on whether a security clearance granting access to sensitive government material should be given to Lord Mandelson.

He formally took up the ambassador post in February 2025, before being removed last September when further details about his ties with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein came to light.

It has emerged that Cabinet Secretary Antonia Romeo found out about Mandelson's vetting failure in late March, but had to investigate the circumstances and legal implications before informing the prime minister.

The Cabinet Office said senior officials "did the right thing" and had taken "urgent steps" to update the prime minister.

Writing in the Mail on Sunday, Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch accused Sir Keir of letting others take the fall while he clings to power and branded him as "unfit to run the country".

"This is not just a political failure. It is a moral one. He has put our national security at risk... he should resign," she wrote.

Liberal Democrats leader Sir Ed Davey called for an investigation by the Privileges Committee into whether the prime minister intentionally misled Parliament.

The SNP, Green Party and Reform UK have also called for Sir Keir to resign.