Mandelson Failed Security Vetting: The Prime Minister Speaks Out
episodePreviously titled “Mandelson Failed Security Vetting...The Prime Minister Speaks Out” — renamed by the publisher on Aug 3, 2026
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What is the main topic discussed in this episode?
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Hello, we've got a little bit of a change of plan on Newscast. You will later on hear the latest episode of Electioncast, where we'll be digging into the campaign for the Scottish Parliament elections. But before that, we're going to do a little bit of breaking news, because in between recording the last episode of Newscast and this one, there's been quite a few developments in the Lord Mandelson vetting story, which was broken by The Guardian on Thursday afternoon. Sir Ollie Robbins, Sir Oliver Robbins, has left the Foreign Office. He was the most senior civil servant, and he is the person who reportedly overruled the findings of Lord Mandelson's vetting to allow him to be appointed as the ambassador to Washington DC.
And all of this has provoked this response from the Prime Minister, who was in Paris for a meeting of other countries who are trying to keep the Strait of Hormuz open, but which has been sort of diverted a bit by this story. That I wasn't told... that Peter Mandelson had failed security vetting when he's appointed is staggering. That I wasn't told that he'd failed security vetting when I was telling Parliament that due process had been followed is unforgivable. Not only was I not told, no minister was told. And I'm absolutely furious about that. What I intend to do is to go to Parliament on Monday to set out all the relevant facts in true transparency, so Parliament has the full picture. So, a very angry Keir Starmer there.
Coming your way shortly, an episode of ElectionCast. But before that, we will get Chris's analysis of what's been going on in the last 24 hours in the news, in this episode of Newscast. Newscast.
Newscast from the BBC.
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Ooh la la. Thinking about it like a panto helped.
Do we play music now or what do we do?
Hello, it's Adam in the Newscast studio. And it is Chris at home. So Chris, last time we were recording an episode of Newscast, it was on Thursday evening.
What happened with Lord Mandelson's security vetting?
This story had emerged in The Guardian about Peter Mandelson's security vetting apparently being overruled by the Foreign Office. I went home and ended my day. Your day was just beginning. It was really. Yeah, it was. So we just did a whole thing. I may have mentioned at the last episode, we just did a whole thing where we'd, you know, we'd spoken to all of the opposition parties and they'd all reacted to the fact that Downing Street wasn't saying anything and blah, blah, blah. And then at five to six, they did say something. And so then we spoke to them all again and started afresh. And then no sooner had I done the 10 o'clock news and I was heading home and Then it turns out that Sir Ollie Robbins, he of the Foreign Office and the most senior job, or at least he was this time yesterday, is no longer because he is out on his ear courtesy of this whole this whole row.
So another another casualty of this whole Peter Mandelson saga. And so this was Ollie Robbins, Sir Oliver Robbins, who to long-time listeners of Brexitcast will remember him as Theresa May's main Brexit man. And then he went into the private sector for a bit and then was brought back to sort of transform the Foreign Office as his most senior civil servant. When you talk to people in and around Number 10, what tale do they tell about why he had to go? Well, they say that they were kind of gobsmacked and furious that they didn't find out about what he knew. And so basically their contention is that was a massive failure on the part of the Foreign Office in general, but him as the figurehead in the civil service in the Foreign Office in general.
because why on earth, so goes the argument from Downing Street, would you not tell the Prime Minister so consequential a piece of information or set of pieces of information around the appointment of someone to such a high-profile role?
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Chapters
5 chapters
1
What is the main topic discussed in this episode?
0:00–2:30
2
What happened with Lord Mandelson's security vetting?
2:30–5:53
3
How did the Prime Minister react to the Mandelson situation?
5:53–10:31
4
What are the implications of the Mandelson vetting failure?
10:31–12:31
5
What are the main issues in the Scottish Parliament elections?
12:31–49:25