General · 18 April 2026
Mandelson vetting scandal worst crisis for diplomats since 1982
Britain's diplomatic service faces its biggest crisis since 1982, following the revelation that Peter Mandelson failed security vetting in January 2025 before taking up his role as US ambassador. Lord McDonald, former permanent secretary at the Foreign Office, said civil servant Oliver Robbins had been made a "scalp" by Number 10. Robbins left his post hours after The Guardian broke the story.
Reported by The Guardian · How we write briefs