UK prime minister Keir Starmer has shown what Olly Robbins, the sacked former boss of the foreign office, called a “dangerous misunderstanding” of the requirements of the security vetting system. In responding to the crisis over the appointment of Peter Mandelson as UK ambassador to the US, Starmer has said he should have been told that Mandelson had failed the vetting process, while Robbins has said that ministers should only be informed of the outcome of this process in “exceptional circumstances.”
It is just one of a series of disagreements between the two men in an affair which has damaged the prime minister. Testifying yesterday to the House of Commons foreign affairs committee, Robbins generously avoided direct criticism of the embattled prime minister’s competence, or judgment, reiterating that there “was a bit of confusion” between their offices. That “confusion” led to Robbins’ sacking after it was revealed that the foreign office had overridden, as was its right, a negative security vetting recommendation on the Mandelson appointment. And then kept quiet about it.
The foreign office determination that widely known risks associated with Mandelson, his association with paedophile Jeffrey Epstein and lobbying work for China, could be mitigated with specific measures was, he said, a legitimate, albeit politically incorrect judgement.
Robbins’ evidence of persistent pressure from Starmer’s office to rubber stamp the ambassadorial appointment suggests a recklessness and disregard for procedure emanating from Starmer’s entourage that reflects poorly on the prime minister’s judgment. His blustering Commons denunciation of the foreign office on Monday rings hollow. Throwing Robbins under a bus was a political move to deflect blame that should be shared.
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Starmer, who has apologised for his error in appointing Mandelson, may survive, but he has much to do to rebuild any degree of confidence in him on his backbenches. Damage from the Mandelson affair will linger.
