Peter Mandelson: Government Appointment

Edward Morello Excerpts

Tuesday 21st April 2026 Commons Chamber

[Edward Morello (West Dorset) (LD)]

This morning, Sir Olly Robbins appeared before the Foreign Affairs Committee. What I saw was a dedicated public servant who, over 25 years, has held some of the most senior roles in the civil service. The Prime Minister would like us to believe that he was let down by officials such as Sir Olly, but in truth it was the officials who were let down by the Prime Minister. They were let down by a Prime Minister who decided to appoint to the highest diplomatic post in the Foreign Office a person who had a known association with a convicted paedophile, and who had been forced out of Government on previous occasions for personal failings.

Having made that decision, No. 10 was determined to ram it through. We have heard of the repeated calls to Olly Robbins’s private office to demand that they get it done quickly. No. 10 even went so far as to argue that the vetting process was not necessary at all. It was FCDO officials who insisted that the proper process be applied, and it was thanks to that decision that there were risk mitigations in place at all. Other Members have raised concerns about security, but if it was not for officials insisting on security vetting and the imposition of mitigations, how much worse would the national security risk have been to the UK? This is not the Prime Minister being let down by officials; it is officials clearing up the Prime Minister’s mess.

The Prime Minister wants us to believe that the appointment of Peter Mandelson as ambassador to the US was a singular error of judgment. However, we now know as a result of Sir Olly Robbins’s evidence that No. 10 also sought an ambassadorial appointment for the Prime Minister’s director of communications, Matthew Doyle. Appointing one friend of a paedophile as an ambassador might be an error of judgment. Attempting to appoint two looks like no judgment at all.

In his statement to the House yesterday, the Prime Minister said:

“It beggars belief that…officials in the Foreign Office saw fit to withhold this information from the most senior Ministers”.—[Official Report, 20 April 2026; Vol. 784, c. 26.]

However, we have now learned that No. 10, having sought an ambassadorial position for Matthew Doyle, ordered Sir Olly not to tell the Foreign Secretary about it at all. On the one hand, the Prime Minister thinks officials should not withhold information. On the other hand, No. 10 is ordering officials to withhold information. Who is letting down who?

Today I saw a diligent, committed, proud and passionate civil servant who worked unbelievably hard for this country and for this Prime Minister. The Prime Minister may have found someone to fire, but the decision to appoint Peter Mandelson was his. The decision to ram that appointment through was his. The decision to announce the appointment before security vetting had been completed was his. The Prime Minister is running out of people to fire. It is time he answered for them.

[Several hon. Members rose—]