The statement by Olly Robbins, the foreign ministry’s ex-top official, comes as the Mandelson row continues to put pressure on Keir Starmer
Starmer has said he was “wrong” to appoint Mandelson to the role and has expressed regret, but on Monday put the blame firmly on foreign ministry officials for failing to tell him that a security vetting body had advised against his appointment – something, he said, would have stopped him from employing the new ambassador.
He was quick to shift the focus to Starmer’s office.
“I walked into a situation in which there was already a very, very strong expectation ... that he needed to be in post and in America as quickly as humanly possible,” Robbins told a parliamentary committee.
Source: News - South China Morning Post
