Email exchanges between senior officials in the Foreign Office revealed several days of confusion about whether Mandelson needed top-level vetting.
On December 18, 2024, Michael Roberts, assurance deputy director at UK Security Vetting (UKSV), wrote: “You asked earlier today whether an individual from the House of Lords needs to go through vetting. From a recap of the paper at GSB in October, such an individual would be exempt.”
Gerard McGurk, head of security & resilience department – who the email was sent to – said appointing someone from the House of Lords “does make the process less bumpy”.
Mr Roberts wrote the following day: “The strong indication last night was that the individual would be from the HOL and so therefore no NSV (national security vetting) required.”
Two days later Rochelle Fisher, head of senior appointments and talent at the Foreign Office, asked for the vetting process to start, but said: “I believe that as member of the HOL, Lord Mandelson will not need DV (developed vetting) but the role he will take up requires STRAP (an extra layer of clearance for senior officials).
“We would like him to take up post in January.” The following day, a Saturday, Robert Tinline, the Foreign Office’s Americas director, wrote: “Mandelson thinks that as a Privy Councillor he can see things without waiting for vetting. Though whether he can in (redacted) and whether we agree he can not clear.”
Ian Collard, former Chief Property & Security Office, sent out a number of emails with the subject line “fast track DV clearance required for high profile head of mission role overseas”. On December 23 Mr Collard wrote: “He plans to begin duties (though not his posting) in early Jan, so time is of the essence.”
That evening emails showed it had been decided that security vetting was required.
