It gets worse: No 10 also tried to get Matthew Doyle - a close friend of Mandelson - a job working for him in DC.
Remember - Doyle was asked by PM to investigate Mandelson's responses about links to Jeffrey Epstein & concluded he was "satisfied".
A *clear* conflict of interests.
🔥Oliver Robbins reveals that No 10 tried to get Matthew Doyle, Keir Starmer's former aide, a posting as an ambo in March 25.
He was under "strict instruction" not to discuss with then foreign sec.
Lord Doyle, awarded peerage by Starmer, was suspended after he publicly supported a sex offender.
- Downing Street took "dismissive" attitude to vetting & Mandelson was given access to fcdo, low classification ID & higher classification briefings before he was actually granted clearance.
- he confirms he had not told anybody in No 10 about the UKSV decision
Extraordinary testimony from Olly Robbins to foreign affairs committee:
- he was subject to “constant pressure” from No 10 when at foreign office to get Peter Mandelson in post asap.
- fcdo was urged to allow Mandelson’s appointment as ambo *without* usual vetting process - but dept pushed back
They’ve agreed to it grudgingly because the whole children & wellbeing was being blocked in HoL - and the clock to end of parliamentary session is ticking. I don’t think this particular one is about headlines.
www.theguardian.com/politics/202...
‘It’s soul-destroying’: struggle to house vulnerable children can leave breaking law as only option - such important reporting from @lexytopping.bsky.social
www.theguardian.com/society/2026...
Tuesday’s @theguardian.com front page: Starmer on collision course with Robbins over Mandelson vetting www.theguardian.com/politics/202...
ISC members now expected to assess documents on Tuesday & Thursday before returning them to government, with any redactions, by end of week ready for public release.
Also includes vetting template showing UKSV flagged “high concern” over Mandelson’s appointment & recommended that clearance should be “denied”.
ISC expected to push for further info incl audit trail of who knew what when re decision & minutes of meetings held by Olly Robbins within FCDO on affair.
EXCL: Intelligence & Security Committee has now been handed the vetting information the cabinet office received several weeks ago.
Understand this includes short summary doc including details of Mandelson’s personal life, financial & business dealings - which PM is now believed to have seen.
🚨 Judgement day for Keir Starmer?
The PM has updated the Commons on what he knew, and when, on Peter Mandelson’s vetting.
Was it enough to convince his party and the public he should not resign? @kiranstacey & I chew it over on latest #PoliticsWeekly podcast…
www.theguardian.com/politics/aud...
🚨 Judgement day for Keir Starmer?
The PM has updated the Commons on what he knew, and when, on Peter Mandelson’s vetting.
Was it enough to convince his party and the public he should not resign? @kiranstacey & I chew it over on latest #PoliticsWeekly podcast
www.theguardian.com/politics/aud...
Labour whips’ “lines to to take” sent to MPs for Keir Starmer’s statement.
Already getting messages from Labour MPs stunned that Epstein abuse victim is being used to attack Peter Mandelson.
NEW: Simon Case, the former cabinet secretary, advised Keir Starmer to do Mandelson’s security vetting *before*
his appointment as UK ambo to US.
Docs were buried in those released for humble address - but there doesn’t appear to have been a response.
My dog is the one on the left 😬. Time to call the groomer!
This is a new government statement on the existing legal position, rather than new legal advice.
But hard to see how it squares with what a foreign office minister said in the Commons last September.
It also represents a major escalation of the row between No 10 & Olly Robbins.
NEW: Downing Street is attempting to demolish the argument from Olly Robbins’ allies that he was prevented by law from telling ministers that Mandelson had failed vetting, ahead of key Commons statement on Monday.
Tice said: "Naturally I am always happy to put things right and if numbers need rechecking, of course I will pay what is owed - be that more or less."
It's another big story from Gabriel Pogrund who also revealed last week that Tice's property company failed to pay £91,000 in tax before dividends.
NEW: Richard Tice failed to pay almost £100,000 in corporation tax, benefiting his investment company which made large donations to Reform UK.
First time Reform's deputy leader's tax affairs can be directly linked to finances of Nigel Farage's party.
- he was “shocked and surprised” when he first learned on Thursday what had happened.
- neither he nor his advisers at time he was foreign sec had known about – or asked for information on – vetting process or its conclusions
www.theguardian.com/politics/202...
EXCL: Keir Starmer would have blocked Peter Mandelson from serving as UK ambassador had he known he failed security vetting, David Lammy tells me. Deputy PM also says:
- it was “inexplicable” that Oliver Robbins opted to leave Downing Street in dark over outcome.
"David Lammy, the deputy prime minister, was on a military flight back from the Middle East when he was summoned to the cockpit by the captain who told him that No 10 needed to speak to him urgently over the radio."
Our piece on how Mandelson vetting row unfolded www.theguardian.com/politics/202...
ANALYSIS: ‘Almost like a Bond villain’: why Labour MPs expect Starmer to cling on as PM - by @peterwalker99.bsky.social & co
www.theguardian.com/politics/202...
Quite a lot of confusion over this, so this is an important explainer: What happens during security vetting and why did Peter Mandelson fail his? 👇
www.theguardian.com/politics/202...
Saturday’s @theguardian.com front page: Starmer warned he faces ‘judgement day’ next week theguardian.com/politics/2026/…
NEW: Keir Starmer says it's "staggering" and "unforgiveable" that he wasn't told Peter Mandelson failed security vetting - and that he's "absolutely furious" about it. He'll address MPs on Monday.
NEW: Yvette Cooper only became aware that Peter Mandelson had failed security vetting when approached by Guardian on Thursday, I’m told.
Foreign sec then spent evening in FCDO and Downing Street with the PM where she spoke to Sir Olly Robbins. They concluded he could no longer continue in post.
Friday’s @theguardian.com front page: Starmer in peril as top official ousted over Mandelson row
BREAKING: Top foreign office civil servant Sir Olly Robbins is leaving his post.
Understand that Keir Starmer and Yvette Cooper have lost confidence in him after he failed to tell PM & No 10 that Peter Mandelson failed security vetting.
BREAKING: Downing Street says that neither Keir Starmer nor David Lammy knew that Peter Mandelson failed his security vetting - and lays blame with Foreign Office officials for overruling the decision.