Badenoch demands government publish all Mandelson files by next week

Politics
17 Apr 2026 • 11:53 PM MYT
The Independent
The Independent

The world’s most free-thinking newspaper

Badenoch demands government publish all Mandelson files by next week

  • Kemi Badenoch, the Tory leader, has accused the Prime Minister of either lying or being “so incompetent that he is unfit to run the country” over Lord Mandelson's failed security vetting, saying his position is "untenable".
  • Lord Mandelson's appointment as UK ambassador to the US proceeded despite security officials initially denying clearance, with the Foreign Office reportedly overriding this recommendation.
  • Sir Olly Robbins, the Foreign Office’s most senior civil servant, has been sacked following revelations that the department overruled the security vetting for Mandelson.
  • The Prime Minister claims he was "furious" and unaware of the failed vetting until recently, promising to address Parliament on Monday.
  • Badenoch is demanding the government publish all files related to Mandelson's appointment by the end of next week, citing reports that No10 was informed by journalists last September.

IN FULL