"Downing Street is clear: it is staggering that Mandelson failed vetting, and that the Foreign Office not only overruled this but told no one in No 10."
"Ciaran Martin, a former top civil servant, said this was an oversimplification. Rather than vetting being a simple yes or no, it was a balance of risks."
"The prime minister feels that he should update parliament on Monday on the basis that parliament should have known about this and should now know about this."
"Did No 10 check this? Its version is that officials repeatedly asked for the facts of the case but were simply not told."
Peter Mandelson's failure to pass security vetting has led to significant uncertainty regarding the knowledge of Downing Street and the Foreign Office's decisions. While Downing Street expressed shock at Mandelson's failure, a former civil servant suggested that the vetting process involves a balance of risks rather than a straightforward decision. The Prime Minister stated that due process was followed in Mandelson's appointment. There are concerns about whether Parliament was misled, and the Prime Minister plans to address these issues in an upcoming session.
Read at www.theguardian.com
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