Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, further to Part of a Return to an Address of the Honourable the House of Commons dated 4 February 2026 relating to the appointment of Lord Mandelson as HM Ambassador to Washington, Volume II Part I, HC2-I, published on 1 June 2026, p.17, what is the “spad work” reference in the sentence “the spad work has shown just how slick this can be when needed”.

In accordance with the Code of Conduct for Special Advisers, Special advisers are not entitled to have access to sensitive, security or intelligence reports unless they have completed National Security Vetting to the appropriate level. A number of new Special Advisers were therefore vetted in July 2024 as priority cases. The ability to prioritise cases is a standard service from UK Security Vetting and involves the same checks and standards as all clearances.