Robbins asked if No 10 told ‘just f***ing approve’ Mandelson vetting

Sir Olly Robbins was asked whether Morgan McSweeney, the then-chief of staff for Sir Keir Starmer, told the Foreign Office to “just f***ing approve” Peter Mandelson’s security vetting for his appointment as ambassador to the US. The former Foreign Office chief, who was sacked by the prime minister over the failure to disclose Lord Mandelson’s failed security checks – but he was granted developed vetting (DV) clearance anyway, said there was pressure from Downing Street to clear the appointment. In his evidence to MPs on Tuesday (21 April), Sir Olly was quizzed by Dame Emily Thornberry about whether Mr McSweeney called Sir Philip Barton, Sir Olly’s predecessor, asking him to speed up the vetting approval for Mandelson by saying “just f***ing approve it.” Downing Street has denied that Foreign Office officials had been “nagged or cajoled or bullied” by Mr McSweeney, and denied an “atmosphere of pressure.”

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