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Robbins’ account raises questions over whether he was misled on Mandelson vetting

Sacked Foreign Office chief tells MPs he was briefed that UKSV considered Mandelson ‘a borderline case’

An account of Peter Mandelson’s vetting process given by the former top civil servant Sir Olly Robbins has raised new questions about whether Robbins was misled about the findings of the agency responsible for vetting.

Robbins, who was sacked from his role of permanent secretary at the Foreign Office last week after revelations in the Guardian, gave testimony about the process to a select committee.

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© Photograph: PRU/AFP/Getty Images

© Photograph: PRU/AFP/Getty Images

© Photograph: PRU/AFP/Getty Images

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Ministers urged to share Mandelson vetting files with intelligence committee

Whitehall officials are weighing up ‘unprecedented’ disclosure of documents in security clearance scandal

Ministers are under growing pressure to share the documents from Peter Mandelson’s vetting process with the parliamentary committee tasked with deciding if they should be made public.

In February, MPs passed a binding parliamentary motion, known as a humble address, requiring the government to publish “all papers” relating to Mandelson’s appointment as ambassador to the US.

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© Photograph: Carl Court/Getty Images

© Photograph: Carl Court/Getty Images

© Photograph: Carl Court/Getty Images

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Starmer was left in dark about Mandelson’s vetting by two other top civil servants

Exclusive: Officials have spent weeks debating whether or not to release highly sensitive information about the affair

Keir Starmer was left in the dark about sensitive information relating to Peter Mandelson’s security vetting by two other top civil servants, including the head of the civil service, the Guardian can reveal.

The prime minister said on Friday that it was “unforgivable” and “staggering” that senior officials did not tell him that Mandelson failed a security vetting process weeks before he took up his role as ambassador to Washington.

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© Illustration: Guardian Design

© Illustration: Guardian Design

© Illustration: Guardian Design

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Retired high court judge to review Peter Mandelson’s vetting process

Exclusive: Adrian Fulford, who chaired the recent Southport inquiry, will also examine the wider national security vetting system

A retired high court judge is expected to review Peter Mandelson’s vetting process and the wider national security vetting system.

The review, commissioned by Downing Street, comes after a Guardian investigation revealing that security officials decided Mandelson should not receive developed vetting clearance, but were overruled by the Foreign Office to allow him to become US ambassador.

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© Photograph: Chris J Ratcliffe/Reuters

© Photograph: Chris J Ratcliffe/Reuters

© Photograph: Chris J Ratcliffe/Reuters

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Officials debate withholding Mandelson vetting documents from parliament

Exclusive: Opinions split on ‘unprecedented’ release of files, despite demand for ‘all papers’ related to ex-US ambassador’s appointment

Senior government officials have been considering whether to withhold from parliament sensitive documents that show Peter Mandelson failed security vetting before he assumed the role of US ambassador, the Guardian can reveal.

Any such decision could amount to an extraordinary breach of a parliamentary vote that ordered the release of “all papers” relevant to Mandelson’s appointment.

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© Illustration: Guardian Design/Getty

© Illustration: Guardian Design/Getty

© Illustration: Guardian Design/Getty

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