Keir Starmer’s decision to appoint Peter Mandelson as Britain’s Ambassador to the United States was a “terrible security error”, according to intelligence sources.
A senior diplomatic posting, such as the UK’s ambassador to the US, would require the highest level of security clearance, known as Developed Vetting (DV).
Matthew Dunn, a former MI6 officer, told The i Paper that the process would have rigorously investigated any links or red flags with help from UK and US intelligence and law enforcement.
“Peter Mandelson’s appointment as Britain’s Ambassador to the United States would have required him to have the very highest level security clearance, namely Developed Vetting,” Dunn said. “This clearance is all-encompassing and crucially incorporates a brutally rigorous assessment of character.”
The key purpose behind vetting of ambassadors before they take up key diplomatic posts abroad is to identify any vulnerabilities, including connections, that may expose individuals to potential blackmail.
Dunn told The i Paper that the process looks for any “habits, outlooks, or the potential for lapses of judgement” that could make the individual “prone to blackmail” by hostile actors.
He said: “Mandelson’s current and historical actions would have been scrutinised by the likes of MI5 and various other UK security agencies, alongside American intelligence agencies because their country was hosting him.
“MI5, and its very close ally the FBI, would have disclosed to the U.K. Premier what it knew about Mandelson’s relationship with Jeffrey Epstein.
“Therefore, his appointment as ambassador was a terrible security error by Keir Starmer.”
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Mandelson was sacked from his role in Washington DC on Thursday after his close relationship with Epstein was laid bare by Bloomberg News, who gained access to over 100 emails between the pair.
The Foreign Office issued a statement saying the emails showed a “depth and extent” of a relationship which was “materially different from that known at the time of his appointment.”
On Friday, Foreign Affairs Committee chair Emily Thornberry wrote to the Foreign secretary with a list of questions about the security vetting process for Mandelson, including if any concerns were ignored by the Government
When asked by The i Paper if Mandelson’s links to Epstein would have come up during his vetting process a UK intelligence source replied: “without a doubt”.
A US State Department official also confirmed that US officials would have conducted its own extensive checks when Mandelson was nominated for the role by Downing Street.
“If there are concerns it’s raised to the political level to make the decision,” they said.
They added that any such concerns could have been escalated all the way to the White House, adding that any reference to Epstein would have been a “difficult conversation” with Donald Trump.
“It’s possible it was or it’s possible it was left out,” they said. “It would have been a small group to brief POTUS.”
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