The prime minister’s Mandelson blind spot points to a wider truth about him: his steady, calm persona was never quite the full picture. Brutal sackings, drift, and a failure to read people, risks and consequences suggest a leader very different from the one voters thought they had chosen, writes Anne McElvoy

Mandelson’s flaws were mistaken for credentials to represent Britain in the court of a rogue president, says Guardian columnist Rafael Behr

The civil servant says he was pressured by No 10 to get Mandelson’s vetting done; the PM says he wasn’t informed. Who emerges most damaged?

The prime minister’s Mandelson blind spot points to a wider truth about him: his steady, calm persona was never quite the full picture. Brutal sackings, drift, and a failure to…