Intel / Intelligence Leaks
Downing Street Pressure on Foreign Office Appointments
Sir Olly Robbins, the recently dismissed Foreign Office chief, stated that Downing Street pressured the Foreign Office to expedite Peter Mandelson's appointment as Ambassador to the US, highlighting the urgency for quick approval before the inauguration.
Source material: Downing Street pressured me to approve Mandelson hire, says sacked Foreign Office chief
Summary
Sir Olly Robbins, the recently dismissed Foreign Office chief, stated that Downing Street pressured the Foreign Office to expedite Peter Mandelson's appointment as Ambassador to the US, highlighting the urgency for quick approval before the inauguration.
Robbins was unaware of the UK security vetting team's negative recommendation regarding Mandelson's clearance, which he believes would have influenced his decision had he known.
He noted a dismissive attitude towards the vetting process, pointing out that Mandelson was granted access to sensitive information while his vetting was still in progress.
Robbins criticized the Prime Minister's claim that he should have been informed about the vetting issues, calling it a significant misunderstanding of the confidentiality involved in such matters.
Perspectives
short
Sir Olly Robbins
- Claims Downing Street pressured the Foreign Office for a quick appointment of Mandelson
- Highlights a lack of transparency in the vetting process that affected his decision
Prime Minister's Office
- Accuses Robbins of failing to communicate critical vetting information
- Demands changes to the vetting process based on perceived failures
Neutral / Shared
- Notes the internal tensions within the government regarding appointments
- Acknowledges the confidentiality issues surrounding the vetting process
Metrics
other
14 months ago months
time since the government showed interest in skipping the vetting process
This indicates a long-standing issue with the vetting process at the highest levels of government
14 months ago at the top of government they seemed keen to skip developed vetting or DV altogether.
Key entities
Timeline highlights
00:00–05:00
Sir Olly Robbins revealed that Downing Street pressured the Foreign Office to expedite Peter Mandelson's appointment as Ambassador to the US. He expressed concerns about the lack of transparency regarding the security vetting process.
- Sir Olly Robbins, the recently dismissed Foreign Office chief, stated that Downing Street pressured the Foreign Office to expedite Peter Mandelsons appointment as Ambassador to the US, highlighting the urgency for quick approval before the inauguration
- Robbins was unaware of the UK security vetting teams negative recommendation regarding Mandelsons clearance, which he believes would have influenced his decision had he known
- He noted a dismissive attitude towards the vetting process, pointing out that Mandelson was granted access to sensitive information while his vetting was still in progress
- Robbins criticized the Prime Ministers claim that he should have been informed about the vetting issues, calling it a significant misunderstanding of the confidentiality involved in such matters
- He also revealed that Downing Street had previously attempted to secure an ambassadorial role for the Prime Ministers Director of Communications without notifying the then Foreign Secretary, indicating internal government tensions