News · 21 April 2026
Starmer says Olly Robbins hid Mandelson vetting truth
© UK Parliament / Maria Unger via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 3.0)
The PM acknowledged his choice of Peter Mandelson as ambassador was a mistake, because security details were withheld. Keir Starmer accused former Foreign Office chief Olly Robbins of purposefully hiding the truth about Peter Mandelson's vetting failure, which Robbins reversed just 24 hours later. He told MPs the Foreign Office should be blamed for failing to inform him or Downing Street about the vetting advice.
Reported by The Guardian · How we write briefs