Mandelson’s appointment: Cabinet Secretary to give evidence
What checks did the Government undertake when appointing Peter Mandelson as UK Ambassador to the US? Cabinet Secretary and Head of the Civil Service, Sir Chris Wormald, and Permanent Under-Secretary at the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO), Sir Oliver Robbins, will give evidence on the vetting and clearance of Lord Mandelson to the Foreign Affairs Committee at 1.30pm on Monday 3 November.
In this evidence session, Members will seek to understand the processes behind the clearance and vetting of Lord Mandelson and where these processes fell down. Questions are likely to cover whether due diligence should have uncovered the association between Lord Mandelson and Jeffrey Epstein.
Meeting details
The session is likely to explore the question of whether the Foreign Affairs Committee should routinely undertake pre-appointment hearings for political ambassadorial appointments.