Mandelson scandal is biggest crisis for diplomatic service in decades, says ex-Foreign Office chief
Sir Simon McDonald says Olly Robbins was ‘thrown under a bus’ by the prime minister and the decision feels ‘wrong’
The Peter Mandelson security vetting scandal is the biggest crisis for the diplomatic service in decades, a former Foreign Office chief has said.
Sir Simon McDonald, who was the permanent under-secretary of the government department until 2020, has spoken out in defence of Sir Oliver Robbins, saying the civil servant was “thrown under a bus” by the prime minister, Keir Starmer, when he was dismissed from his role on Thursday.
https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2026/apr/18/peter-mandelson-scandal-crisis-diplomatic-service-keir-starmer-oliver-robbins">Continue reading...Starmer Faces Crisis Over Mandelson
- Starmer's not fit to run the country: Kemi launches blistering attack on 'weak, lazy and incompetent' PM as Mandelson crisis threatens to force him out of No10 Daily Mail —
- Will Keir Starmer resign? Al Jazeera —
- UK's Lammy signals support for PM Starmer over latest Mandelson row The Straits Times —
- Starmer would have blocked Mandelson role over vetting failure, says Lammy The Guardian —
- No way Lammy wasn’t told Mandelson failed vetting, says ex-foreign secretary The Independent —