UKSV recommended denying security clearance for Peter Mandelson before he was due to become ambassador to Washington. UKSV cited concerns about associations with Chinese finance minister Lan Fo'an, Russian oligarch Oleg Deripaska, and former Israeli military intelligence general Tamir Hayman. UKSV also flagged a very close relationship with a British individual that could be compromising. Officials additionally raised a £1m loan used to buy shares in an Israeli startup and noted Mandelson appeared naive to risks that historical relationships could be exploited. On 28 January 2025, UKSV concluded the vetting process and classified him as a high overall concern, recommending clearance not be given. The next day, clearance was granted anyway based on oral briefings rather than a review of the full vetting summary.
"UKSV identified concerns about associations Mandelson had with the Chinese finance minister, Lan Fo'an, the Russian oligarch Oleg Deripaska and a former Israeli military intelligence general, Tamir Hayman, the sources said. The agency also flagged a very close relationship with a fourth individual, who is British, that it believed could be compromising, they said. According to the sources, officials additionally flagged a 1m loan used by Mandelson to buy shares in an Israeli startup, the sources added, and the officials noted he appeared naive to the risks that his historical relationships with other individuals could be exploited."
"On 28 January 2025, UKSV concluded the vetting process and decided Mandelson was a high overall concern and recommended clearance not be given. The following day, Olly Robbins, the then permanent secretary at the Foreign Office, granted him clearance anyway. Robbins did not see UKSV's nine-page summary of Mandelson's vetting file, relying on an oral briefing from another senior Foreign Office official, Ian Collard, who had not seen it either."
"The revelations raise fresh questions for those involved in the growing scandal around Mandelson's appointment, including Keir Starmer, who opted to make him ambassador, and senior civil servants involved in granting him clearance. On 28 January 2025, UKSV concluded the vetting process and decided Mandelson was a high overall concern and recommended clearance not be given. The following day, Olly Robbins, the then permanent secretary at the Foreign Office, granted him clearance anyway."
#security-vetting #diplomatic-appointments #foreign-office-clearance #international-relations #counterintelligence-risks
Read at www.theguardian.com
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