Lucy Hough

Keep up with all our coverage of the fallout of the story and today's explosive account from Sir Oliver Robbins online.

over at theguardian.com.

Thanks for listening to this episode of The Latest.

Today on Focus, we'll be back in your feeds as usual tomorrow morning.

The Latest will be back tomorrow night.

This episode was presented by me, Lucy Hoff.

It was produced by Bryony Moore.

The senior producer was Ryan Ramgobin and the lead producer was Zoe Hitch.

This is The Guardian.

The Guardian has exclusively revealed that Peter Mandelson, the former US ambassador, failed security clearance, but that was overruled by the Foreign Office and allegedly withheld from the Prime Minister.

From The Guardian's Today In Focus, this is The Latest with me, Lucy Hoth.

Well, Paul Lewis, our investigations editor, is here, part of the team, the amazing crack squad behind this astonishing scoop that is now on the front page of every single British newspaper.

A story about Peter Mandelson, the former US ambassador.

It turns out failed security clearance, but that failure was overruled by the Foreign Office.

Talk to me, Paul, about the reporting that you've uncovered.

This is at the end of December 2024, wasn't it?

And then he was appointed in.

Which of course he did.

And that is what's caused this huge political controversy because Downing Street are saying that until this week and until the publication of this Guardian exclusive, it was not known that this security vetting had been failed.

Before we come on to that, can I just ask what kinds of things they'd be looking into when it comes to security clearance?