Mandelson vetting warned of diplomat’s ties to Russian oligarch
Starmer: ‘I should not have appointed Mandelson’
Peter Mandelson failed security vetting for the US ambassador position due to his associations with a Chinese finance minister, a sanctions-hit Russian oligarch, and a former Israeli military intelligence general, it has emerged.
Security services were particularly concerned that Lord Mandelson maintained Russian business ties after the 2014 invasion of Crimea.
Despite the security concerns, the Foreign Office overrode the decision, and Lord Mandelson was appointed to the diplomatic role.
The revelations have sparked a political row, with questions raised about delays in publishing relevant papers and whether Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer misled parliament regarding his knowledge of the vetting failure.
Lord Mandelson was eventually sacked as ambassador last September following further revelations about his close relationship with Jeffrey Epstein, though these links were not prominent in his initial security vetting.
