Olly Robbins, the former permanent secretary who granted Mandelson clearance anyway, has said his decision was based on \u201cmanagement actions\u201d being put in place to mitigate the risks identified by officials.<\/p>\n
However Richard Dearlove, who ran Britain\u2019s Secret Intelligence service, MI6<\/a>, between 1999 and 2004, said he did not understand how such mitigations would work.<\/p>\n \u201cThe whole thing is completely extraordinary,\u201d he said. \u201cWhat mitigations could you put in place? The only mitigations I can think of is that certain papers that are circulated in the Washington embassy cannot be viewed by the ambassador. That would be totally impossible.\u201d<\/p>\n Dearlove added: \u201cWhen I was head of MI6, if I\u2019d been warned not to share papers with a minister or ambassador, I\u2019d have asked to discuss the situation with the foreign secretary or the prime minister.\u201d<\/p>\n Multiple sources have told the Guardian that Mandelson\u2019s links to China\u2019s minister of finance, Lan Fo\u2019an, the sanctions-hit Russian oligarch Oleg Deripaska and former Israeli military intelligence general Tamir Hayman were all flagged by the government\u2019s vetting agency.<\/p>\n They added that United Kingdom Security Vetting (UKSV) also noted Mandelson had a very close relationship with a fourth individual, who is British, that could be compromising. Another concern identified by the vetting agency, the sources said, was a \u00a31m loan Mandelson received to invest in an Israeli startup.<\/p>\n UKSV recommended denying Mandelson clearance, but within hours the Foreign Office granted it to him anyway.<\/p>\n Emily Thornberry, the chair of the foreign affairs select committee, said the revelations made her \u201cvery angry\u201d and raised questions about comments Robbins made in evidence to her committee, when he said that UKSV had regarded Mandelson\u2019s case as \u201cborderline\u201d.<\/p>\n \u201cIt becomes quite clear why UKSV saw [Mandelson] as a subject of concern who shouldn\u2019t be granted clearance. It makes Olly Robbins\u2019 assertion that he understood the recommendation to be \u2018borderline\u2019 pretty incredible.\u201d Robbins has not responded to requests for comment about the evidence for his \u201cborderline\u201d claim.<\/p>\n Next month the government is due to publish a tranche of documents after parliament passed a motion known as a humble address, ordering the release of all papers relating to Mandelson\u2019s appointment. However, there are growing concerns that not all relevant documents will be released in full.<\/p>\n On 15 May, the intelligence and security committee, which has a role in reviewing the most sensitive of those documents, publicly accused the government<\/a> of withholding some Mandelson vetting documents and implementing redactions \u201cfar too broadly\u201d. During a debate in parliament last week, MPs from across the political divide criticised<\/a> the Cabinet Office\u2019s handling of the process.<\/p>\n Two MPs openly accused the government of a \u201ccover-up\u201d and one threatened to table a motion holding ministers in contempt.<\/p>\n Responding to the Guardian\u2019s revelations, Ed Davey, the leader of the Liberal Democrats, said: \u201cThe fact that the government is still trying to hide the truth when it comes to Mandelson is an utter disgrace. I can only imagine how angry Keir Starmer would be about it if he wasn\u2019t running the government.<\/p>\n \u201cThe responsibility for the hiring of Peter Mandelson lies at the door of the prime minister. No 10 knew full well about Mandelson\u2019s business relationships with China and Russia, and indeed with [the child sex offender] Jeffrey Epstein too.<\/p>\n \u201cGlaring warning signs were wilfully ignored, driven by a desperate desire to pander to the bully in the White House rather than protect British interests.\u201d<\/p>\n The shadow foreign secretary, Priti Patel, said: \u201cThese shocking revelations underline just how reckless Keir Starmer\u2019s decision to appoint Peter Mandelson was. A man with these links to Russia and China should never have been handed one of our most sensitive diplomatic posts.\u201d<\/p>\n![\"Why](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/1780004409_856_1920.jpg\")
Why was Mandelson given security clearance after warnings over foreign ties? – The Latest<\/p>\n