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Utterly surreal, Keir Starmer's Downing Street didn't think Peter Mandelson needed to pass security vetting 😱 Olyy Robbins, "Papers from No 10 that Peter Mandelson had to be in post and in America, as quickly as humanly possible" "What that translated into for my team in the foreign office...

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Farrukh

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41,086 views • 3 months ago •via X (Twitter)

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🚨 BREAKING: Olly Robbins says that the Government tried to appoint Peter Mandelson without vetting "At the point of his appointment it was not actually a given he would be vetted... there was not stipulation from No 10 that he should be vetted"
0:43

🚨 BREAKING: Olly Robbins says that the Government tried to appoint Peter Mandelson without vetting "At the point of his appointment it was not actually a given he would be vetted... there was not stipulation from No 10 that he should be vetted"

Politics UK

896,515 views • 3 months ago

I walked into a situation where there was a "very, very strong expectation" that Peter Mandelson "needed to be in post and in America as quickly as humanly possible," Sir Olly Robbins tells MPs Follow live:
1:01

I walked into a situation where there was a "very, very strong expectation" that Peter Mandelson "needed to be in post and in America as quickly as humanly possible," Sir Olly Robbins tells MPs Follow live:

BBC Politics

69,138 views • 3 months ago

Sky's Political Editor Beth Rigby understands that Sir Keir Starmer will go to the House of Commons on Monday to correct the record about the vetting of Peter Mandelson for the US ambassador role. Downing Street has said in a statement that the prime minister was not aware that Peter Mandelson failed his security vetting.
3:21

Sky's Political Editor Beth Rigby understands that Sir Keir Starmer will go to the House of Commons on Monday to correct the record about the vetting of Peter Mandelson for the US ambassador role. Downing Street has said in a statement that the prime minister was not aware that Peter Mandelson failed his security vetting.

Sky News

177,309 views • 3 months ago

'It’s using the Foreign Office as some sort of vanity project,' says Dame Emily Thornberry. The government is facing a 'dismissive' conduct row after Sir Olly Robbins alleged that No. 10 rushed Peter Mandelson into his US Ambassador post.
0:44

'It’s using the Foreign Office as some sort of vanity project,' says Dame Emily Thornberry. The government is facing a 'dismissive' conduct row after Sir Olly Robbins alleged that No. 10 rushed Peter Mandelson into his US Ambassador post.

Good Morning Britain

56,239 views • 3 months ago

Breaking News🇬🇧: Starmer Caught Asking For No Mandelson Vetting. "The Prime Minister made NO stipulation at all that he wanted Peter Mandelson VETTED..he was IMMEDIATELY given security clearances at various levels on a case by case basis. The overriding goal was to have Madelson's appointment in place before the inauguration of President Trump on the 20th of January 2025 in any event". At a Foreign Affairs Select Committee meeting in Westminster today, the man PM Sir Keir Starmer SACKED for not conducting the correct security checks, admits to the world that Starmer directed him NOT to do so. After this initial disclosure PM Starmer's position is completely untenable.
5:10

Breaking News🇬🇧: Starmer Caught Asking For No Mandelson Vetting. "The Prime Minister made NO stipulation at all that he wanted Peter Mandelson VETTED..he was IMMEDIATELY given security clearances at various levels on a case by case basis. The overriding goal was to have Madelson's appointment in place before the inauguration of President Trump on the 20th of January 2025 in any event". At a Foreign Affairs Select Committee meeting in Westminster today, the man PM Sir Keir Starmer SACKED for not conducting the correct security checks, admits to the world that Starmer directed him NOT to do so. After this initial disclosure PM Starmer's position is completely untenable.

HIN News🇬🇧🇺🇸

46,432 views • 3 months ago

In February, Keir Starmer said "There was then I should add, security vetting carried out independently by the security services, which is an intensive exercise that gave him clearance for the role, and you have to go through that before you take up the post." Today, he's saying that he didn't know that Peter Mandelson failed it.
0:34

In February, Keir Starmer said "There was then I should add, security vetting carried out independently by the security services, which is an intensive exercise that gave him clearance for the role, and you have to go through that before you take up the post." Today, he's saying that he didn't know that Peter Mandelson failed it.

Mukhtar

10,733 views • 3 months ago

“The problem wasn’t the vetting process. It was ignoring what the vetting process said. It included the report that said Peter Mandelson had a particularly close relationship with Epstein after his child sex offence conviction. The Prime Minister was told that Mandelson had stayed at Epstein’s house in New York while he was in jail on charges of soliciting a minor for prostitution and continued to have connections to him until at least 2014” Utterly damning.
4:08

“The problem wasn’t the vetting process. It was ignoring what the vetting process said. It included the report that said Peter Mandelson had a particularly close relationship with Epstein after his child sex offence conviction. The Prime Minister was told that Mandelson had stayed at Epstein’s house in New York while he was in jail on charges of soliciting a minor for prostitution and continued to have connections to him until at least 2014” Utterly damning.

Peter Stefanovic

46,613 views • 4 months ago

'I do not accept that I could not have been told about the recommendation before Peter Mandelson took up his post.' Sir Keir Starmer points to failures in the Foreign Office which meant he was not told about the results of Peter Mandelson's security vetting.
4:28

'I do not accept that I could not have been told about the recommendation before Peter Mandelson took up his post.' Sir Keir Starmer points to failures in the Foreign Office which meant he was not told about the results of Peter Mandelson's security vetting.

GB News

10,672 views • 3 months ago

"Do we really think the government, with all its resources, couldn't work out, given what was in the public domain, that he was very close to Jeffrey Epstein?" Owen Jones doubts Keir Starmer's account of how Peter Mandelson was vetted. Isabel Webster | #MattAllwright
2:32

"Do we really think the government, with all its resources, couldn't work out, given what was in the public domain, that he was very close to Jeffrey Epstein?" Owen Jones doubts Keir Starmer's account of how Peter Mandelson was vetted. Isabel Webster | #MattAllwright

Jeremy Vine & Daytime on 5

15,162 views • 5 months ago

The top civil servant at the Cabinet Office, Cat Little, has been giving evidence before MPs about the appointment of Peter Mandelson as US ambassador. After she discovered that vetting officials had recommended Lord Mandelson should not get security clearance, she informed Keir Starmer, who then sacked the head of the Foreign Office for not disclosing the information. She was asked why it took her nearly three weeks to tell the Prime Minister about the failed vetting.
0:48

The top civil servant at the Cabinet Office, Cat Little, has been giving evidence before MPs about the appointment of Peter Mandelson as US ambassador. After she discovered that vetting officials had recommended Lord Mandelson should not get security clearance, she informed Keir Starmer, who then sacked the head of the Foreign Office for not disclosing the information. She was asked why it took her nearly three weeks to tell the Prime Minister about the failed vetting.

Channel 4 News

62,783 views • 3 months ago

Inside the Mandelson vetting scandal - a bonus edition of our podcast The State of It • Open warfare between Number 10 and Sir Olly Robbins, who was sacked as perm sec of the foreign office this week • Cat Little, the perm sec at the cabinet office, asked the foreign office for the vetting file weeks ago. Starmer allies claim that Robbins blocked its release • She was eventually given the file on March 25 but felt unable to share it with Starmer because of legal issues. She took extensive advice, both on data protection issues and more broadly issues of whether it would undermine the entire vetting system, which relies on confidentiality and is supposed to be insulated from ministers • She went to Starmer on Tuesday, nearly a month later. He was incandescent and ordered an investigation. Robbins was sacked on Thursday • Extraordinary as it sounds, nobody is now disputing Starmer's claim that Robbins failed to tell ministers. Robbins kept it to himself. • But Robbins' allies are fighting back. They insist he did nothing wrong and say he has been scapegoated. • They argue that the PM put Robbins in an invidious position by announcing Mandelson's appointment before he had even undergone security vetting. • They say he would have been in breach of his obligations as a civil servant if he had informed the PM that Mandelson had failed his initial security vetting. • Will Starmer survive? Labour MPs seem to think he will for now. But it adds yet more fuel to the anger about Starmer's original, catastrophic misjudgement in appointing Mandelson. • Next week will be a blockbuster, with both Starmer and Robbins making public appearances With Patrick Maguire and Lara Spirit
1:19

Inside the Mandelson vetting scandal - a bonus edition of our podcast The State of It • Open warfare between Number 10 and Sir Olly Robbins, who was sacked as perm sec of the foreign office this week • Cat Little, the perm sec at the cabinet office, asked the foreign office for the vetting file weeks ago. Starmer allies claim that Robbins blocked its release • She was eventually given the file on March 25 but felt unable to share it with Starmer because of legal issues. She took extensive advice, both on data protection issues and more broadly issues of whether it would undermine the entire vetting system, which relies on confidentiality and is supposed to be insulated from ministers • She went to Starmer on Tuesday, nearly a month later. He was incandescent and ordered an investigation. Robbins was sacked on Thursday • Extraordinary as it sounds, nobody is now disputing Starmer's claim that Robbins failed to tell ministers. Robbins kept it to himself. • But Robbins' allies are fighting back. They insist he did nothing wrong and say he has been scapegoated. • They argue that the PM put Robbins in an invidious position by announcing Mandelson's appointment before he had even undergone security vetting. • They say he would have been in breach of his obligations as a civil servant if he had informed the PM that Mandelson had failed his initial security vetting. • Will Starmer survive? Labour MPs seem to think he will for now. But it adds yet more fuel to the anger about Starmer's original, catastrophic misjudgement in appointing Mandelson. • Next week will be a blockbuster, with both Starmer and Robbins making public appearances With Patrick Maguire and Lara Spirit

Steven Swinford

24,595 views • 3 months ago

'Is the Prime Minister going to resign?' Darren Jones, Chief Secretary to the Prime Minister, was questioned on #BBCBreakfast after Downing Street said the Foreign Office didn't tell Keir Starmer that Lord Mandelson had failed security vetting over his appointment as Ambassador to the United States
1:12

'Is the Prime Minister going to resign?' Darren Jones, Chief Secretary to the Prime Minister, was questioned on #BBCBreakfast after Downing Street said the Foreign Office didn't tell Keir Starmer that Lord Mandelson had failed security vetting over his appointment as Ambassador to the United States

BBC Breakfast

51,152 views • 3 months ago

'Has the Prime Minister knowingly misled Parliament? Darren Jones, Chief Secretary to the Prime Minister, was questioned on #BBCBreakfast after Downing Street said the Foreign Office didn't tell Keir Starmer that Lord Mandelson had failed security vetting over his appointment as Ambassador to the United States
1:50

'Has the Prime Minister knowingly misled Parliament? Darren Jones, Chief Secretary to the Prime Minister, was questioned on #BBCBreakfast after Downing Street said the Foreign Office didn't tell Keir Starmer that Lord Mandelson had failed security vetting over his appointment as Ambassador to the United States

BBC Breakfast

12,492 views • 3 months ago

Sir Olly Robbins said No10 had a dismissive attitude and created an atmosphere of pressure to appoint Peter Mandelson regardless of security vetting. So why did the Foreign Secretary lose confidence in Sir Olly only last week, when surely the Prime Minister was passing the buck for his own failures and appalling judgement?
0:22

Sir Olly Robbins said No10 had a dismissive attitude and created an atmosphere of pressure to appoint Peter Mandelson regardless of security vetting. So why did the Foreign Secretary lose confidence in Sir Olly only last week, when surely the Prime Minister was passing the buck for his own failures and appalling judgement?

Priti Patel MP

24,284 views • 3 months ago

Stephen Flynn, "Keir Starmer chose a political appointment to be ambassador in Peter Mandelson" "He knew about the connect between Peter Mandelson and Jeffrey Epstein" "He chose to ignore it" "He chose to ignore that past in order to get a political benefit" "Just as he chose to allow Peter Mandelson to remain a member of the Labour party until Peter Mandelson chose to leave" "This is all about Prime Minister Keir Starmer's judgment, or lack of" "Cultural problem in Westminster, and around Whitehall. That if you're a rich white powerful man then people turn a blind eye at the things that you do"
1:37

Stephen Flynn, "Keir Starmer chose a political appointment to be ambassador in Peter Mandelson" "He knew about the connect between Peter Mandelson and Jeffrey Epstein" "He chose to ignore it" "He chose to ignore that past in order to get a political benefit" "Just as he chose to allow Peter Mandelson to remain a member of the Labour party until Peter Mandelson chose to leave" "This is all about Prime Minister Keir Starmer's judgment, or lack of" "Cultural problem in Westminster, and around Whitehall. That if you're a rich white powerful man then people turn a blind eye at the things that you do"

Farrukh

65,949 views • 5 months ago

Sir Olly Robbins, who the PM sacked as the top civil servant in the Foreign Office, has accused No 10 of having a 'dismissive approach' to the Mandelson vetting while giving evidence to the Foreign Affairs Select Committee. Read more:
6:20

Sir Olly Robbins, who the PM sacked as the top civil servant in the Foreign Office, has accused No 10 of having a 'dismissive approach' to the Mandelson vetting while giving evidence to the Foreign Affairs Select Committee. Read more:

Sky News

37,772 views • 3 months ago

"The charge essentially is that there was a hear no evil, see no evil approach to this appointment." Sky's Sam Coates Sky unpacks the fallout of whether or not Keir Starmer had misled MPs over the vetting process of Peter Mandelson. 📺 Sky 501
3:26

"The charge essentially is that there was a hear no evil, see no evil approach to this appointment." Sky's Sam Coates Sky unpacks the fallout of whether or not Keir Starmer had misled MPs over the vetting process of Peter Mandelson. 📺 Sky 501

Sky News Politics

21,041 views • 3 months ago

🚨 WATCH: Keir Starmer repeats that Peter Mandelson "lied" in response to questions put to him about his relationship with Epstein "I had no reason at that stage to think it was anything other than the truth, and therefore proceeded"
1:58

🚨 WATCH: Keir Starmer repeats that Peter Mandelson "lied" in response to questions put to him about his relationship with Epstein "I had no reason at that stage to think it was anything other than the truth, and therefore proceeded"

Politics UK

106,234 views • 5 months ago

Peter Mandelson is one of the dodgiest people in politics. We've known this for decades - he first resigned in disgrace when I was 7 years old. Yet Starmer appointed him. He didn't need a full vetting process to know that Mandelson was no good. He could have just Googled him. In 1996, he took an interest-free £373,000 loan from Geoffrey Robinson, former Labour MP and owner of the New Statesman. The loan was offered, no strings attached, and Mandelson went on to buy a new house in Notting Hill. Robinson had previously been close with Robert Maxwell, the disgraced media baron charged with embezzling millions from his own companies' pension funds. Mandelson, as Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, was responsible for the Department's investigation into Maxwell. Despite the huge loan that he'd been offered, Mandelson never declared that he had a conflict of interest in conducting that investigation. Robinson had dealings with many of Maxwell's companies - and again, Mandelson saw no need to declare a conflict of interest. In 1998, the story broke, and Mandelson was forced to resign in disgrace. He'd taken a huge loan from a friend, who could have been implicated in a corruption investigation that he was carrying out. In 1999, he was back, this time as Northern Ireland Secretary. By 2001, he was resigning again, after allegations that he used his position to influence a passport application for the sponsor of a major New Labour project. That man was Srichand Hinduja, who was under investigation by the Indian Government for his role in the Bofors scandal. He was alleged to have taken kickbacks as part of an arms deal. Yet Mandelson personally intervened to try and secure him a British passport. In 2004, Mandelson billed the taxpayer £3,000 to refurbish his constituency home in Hartlepool, after announcing his decision to stand down as an MP. In 2005, it was reported that, while serving as an EU Commissioner, he spent New Year’s Eve on the yacht of Paul Allen, the co-founder of Microsoft, while Microsoft was undergoing a major EU investigation. In 2006, he received a free cruise from an Italian fashion mogul, just before he helped to impose tariffs on Chinese shoes. In 2008, he spent time on a yacht with Oleg Deripaska, a Russian oligarch. In that same year, he cut aluminium tariffs on Russia, in a move that massively benefitted Deripaska's businesses. It turns out that when he'd visited Russia in 2005, the head of security at Deripaska's metals company had organised for Mandelson to get a swift entry visa. Following Jeffrey Epstein's conviction for soliciting prostitution from a minor, Mandelson maintained close contact with Epstein. This was a matter of public record. That's to say nothing of the most recent allegations - including the claim that he fed market-sensitive information to Jeffrey Epstein just before the 2008 Financial Crash, after receiving money from Epstein. The Prime Minister and his team will try to hide behind the appointments process. There is plenty wrong with that process, including with who receives information, and when. But there was no need to conduct a formal vetting process into Mandelson. He’s been nationally famous as a dodgy politician for more than 25 years. Starmer knew the political risk in appointing him. He chose to do it anyway. That’s not a process issue, and it’s pathetic to pretend otherwise. It’s a judgment issue. Making important judgement calls is the Prime Minister’s job. The trouble is, he’s terrible at it.
0:38

Peter Mandelson is one of the dodgiest people in politics. We've known this for decades - he first resigned in disgrace when I was 7 years old. Yet Starmer appointed him. He didn't need a full vetting process to know that Mandelson was no good. He could have just Googled him. In 1996, he took an interest-free £373,000 loan from Geoffrey Robinson, former Labour MP and owner of the New Statesman. The loan was offered, no strings attached, and Mandelson went on to buy a new house in Notting Hill. Robinson had previously been close with Robert Maxwell, the disgraced media baron charged with embezzling millions from his own companies' pension funds. Mandelson, as Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, was responsible for the Department's investigation into Maxwell. Despite the huge loan that he'd been offered, Mandelson never declared that he had a conflict of interest in conducting that investigation. Robinson had dealings with many of Maxwell's companies - and again, Mandelson saw no need to declare a conflict of interest. In 1998, the story broke, and Mandelson was forced to resign in disgrace. He'd taken a huge loan from a friend, who could have been implicated in a corruption investigation that he was carrying out. In 1999, he was back, this time as Northern Ireland Secretary. By 2001, he was resigning again, after allegations that he used his position to influence a passport application for the sponsor of a major New Labour project. That man was Srichand Hinduja, who was under investigation by the Indian Government for his role in the Bofors scandal. He was alleged to have taken kickbacks as part of an arms deal. Yet Mandelson personally intervened to try and secure him a British passport. In 2004, Mandelson billed the taxpayer £3,000 to refurbish his constituency home in Hartlepool, after announcing his decision to stand down as an MP. In 2005, it was reported that, while serving as an EU Commissioner, he spent New Year’s Eve on the yacht of Paul Allen, the co-founder of Microsoft, while Microsoft was undergoing a major EU investigation. In 2006, he received a free cruise from an Italian fashion mogul, just before he helped to impose tariffs on Chinese shoes. In 2008, he spent time on a yacht with Oleg Deripaska, a Russian oligarch. In that same year, he cut aluminium tariffs on Russia, in a move that massively benefitted Deripaska's businesses. It turns out that when he'd visited Russia in 2005, the head of security at Deripaska's metals company had organised for Mandelson to get a swift entry visa. Following Jeffrey Epstein's conviction for soliciting prostitution from a minor, Mandelson maintained close contact with Epstein. This was a matter of public record. That's to say nothing of the most recent allegations - including the claim that he fed market-sensitive information to Jeffrey Epstein just before the 2008 Financial Crash, after receiving money from Epstein. The Prime Minister and his team will try to hide behind the appointments process. There is plenty wrong with that process, including with who receives information, and when. But there was no need to conduct a formal vetting process into Mandelson. He’s been nationally famous as a dodgy politician for more than 25 years. Starmer knew the political risk in appointing him. He chose to do it anyway. That’s not a process issue, and it’s pathetic to pretend otherwise. It’s a judgment issue. Making important judgement calls is the Prime Minister’s job. The trouble is, he’s terrible at it.

Katie Lam

52,329 views • 5 months ago

🗣️ 'Was there anything in Peter Mandelson's developed vetting that wasn't already in the public realm?' - Dame Emily Thornberry 🗣️ 'I may no longer be an official, but I can't open that box' - Sir Olly Robbins
1:03

🗣️ 'Was there anything in Peter Mandelson's developed vetting that wasn't already in the public realm?' - Dame Emily Thornberry 🗣️ 'I may no longer be an official, but I can't open that box' - Sir Olly Robbins

Sky News

477,131 views • 3 months ago