- Morgan McSweeney informed MPs that Peter Mandelson and former Tory chancellor George Osborne were shortlisted for the US ambassador role after a decision was made for a political appointment.
- McSweeney clarified that Sir Keir Starmer, not he, decided on a political appointee, and the Prime Minister could have opted for a civil servant instead.
- He stated that he did not push for Mandelson's appointment, despite presenting both Mandelson and Osborne as “appointable candidates” to the Prime Minister.
- McSweeney confirmed that no one within Downing Street deemed Lord Mandelson “not appointable” for the position.
- The potential appointment of George Osborne, seen as the architect of 'austerity', would have been highly controversial within the Labour party.
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