Security Vetting

Mike Wood Excerpts
Monday 20th April 2026

(1 day, 11 hours ago)

Commons Chamber
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Keir Starmer Portrait The Prime Minister
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Because he did not bring to my attention information that he should have brought to my attention. Had he done so, I would not have made the appointment.

Mike Wood Portrait Mike Wood (Kingswinford and South Staffordshire) (Con)
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The Prime Minister dissembles over what he knew about Sistema and Mandelson, but the Cabinet Office due diligence report sent to the Prime Minister on 11 December 2024 stated:

“Mandelson served as a non-executive director of the Russian conglomerate Sistema, which is itself the majority shareholder of RTI, a defence technology company…Mandelson remained on the board until June 2017, long after Putin’s annexation of Crimea in 2014.”

Will the Prime Minister finally confirm that he knew that Mandelson was a director of Sistema long after the invasion of Crimea, but appointed him anyway?

Keir Starmer Portrait The Prime Minister
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As I have made clear, I did know what was in the due diligence report, and I have made that clear to the House a number of times today. I have actually made it clear to the House on previous occasions.