Security Vetting Debate

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Department: Cabinet Office

Security Vetting

Paul Kohler Excerpts
Monday 20th April 2026

(1 day, 9 hours ago)

Commons Chamber
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Lindsay Hoyle Portrait Mr Speaker
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I am running this for 10 more minutes and then that is it.

Paul Kohler Portrait Mr Paul Kohler (Wimbledon) (LD)
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The Foreign Office raised severe concerns regarding Peter Mandelson’s links with Epstein, Russia and China in the due diligence report that the Prime Minister received before the appointment was announced. The Prime Minister, however, brushed those concerns aside and announced Mandelson as ambassador none the less. Given what the due diligence exercise had already flagged, it was surely predictable that Mandelson would fail security vetting for those reasons, but No. 10 had already told the Foreign Office, before Sir Olly Robbins had taken up his post, to proceed with the appointment. Notwithstanding these issues, that is exactly what he did by putting in place the safeguards. Can the Prime Minister please explain why he has sacked a loyal and brilliant public servant?