System used for civil servants not thorough enough for those with ‘baggage’ of years in politics or business, Peter Ricketts says
Downing Street cannot appoint politicians or business figures to senior diplomatic posts using the same security vetting it uses to check civil servants, a former national security adviser has said.
Peter Ricketts said there had to be more “awkward questions” asked of a person such as Peter Mandelson than the system allows, given “all the baggage” of his three decades in politics and business.
“For that person there must surely be an even more thorough process including detailed interviews with those who have known him/her well in their previous life. That will take time,” Lord Ricketts said.
Other insiders familiar with the appointment process said Mandelson’s appointment was streamlined and the reality was that Downing Street “wanted Peter to be the answer”, with informal concerns brushed off.
