Why did Mandelson fail his vetting?published at 06:42 BST
06:42 BST
Image source, Reuters
This is one of the questions MPs will be hoping to hear answered.
The remaining documents relating to Lord Mandelson’s vetting and appointment are set to be released imminently. They were initially withheld on the orders of the Metropolitan Police, which is investigating Lord Mandelson for potential criminal activity.
Lord Mandelson has not responded to requests for comment but the BBC understands his position is that he has not acted in any way criminally and that he was not motivated by financial gain.
The documents also need to be inspected by the Intelligence and Security Committee of cross-party MPs, which is trying to balance allowing as much information as possible into the public domain without compromising national security.
Image source, ReutersImage caption,
Former US Ambassador Lord Mandelson pictured shaking hands with President Trump last year in the Oval Office
In November, the then head of the civil service, Sir Chris Wormald, said Lord Mandelson was not formally interviewed for the role of US ambassador.
Wormald said Mandelson was not directly asked in person about any conflict of interest, but instead needed to fill in a form aimed more at potential financial conflicts. This process has now been changed.
Details of the due diligence checks made before Lord Mandelson’s appointment, carried out by the Cabinet Office on behalf of Downing Street, are still to emerge.
However, Wormald told MPs in November that the document did contain an “initial assessment” of mitigations around potential professional or financial relationships and noted the inclusion of “a general reputational risk” linked to Epstein.