LONDON: A trove of government documents about Peter Mandelson contains no record of any measures taken to mitigate serious security concerns over his appointment as Washington ambassador, the Guardian has learned.
Multiple sources who have seen or been briefed on the files, which will be published on Monday, say there is no detail about any steps put in place to deal with flags raised about his associations with senior figures in foreign states.
The Guardian also understands Mandelson was not asked to take any steps himself to allay such concerns. The omissions cast doubt on assurances provided by senior Whitehall officials to MPs on the foreign affairs select committee.
A fuller picture will emerge on Monday when the government publishes more than 1,000 pages of information relating to Mandelson’s appointment, which has proved to be one of the most momentous decisions by Keir Starmer in his time as prime minister.
One source who has been briefed on the contents of the documents said: “The big question I would be asking is why there is no written record of what mitigations were put in place. We’ve been told they were there, but why is there no document showing he accepted them?”
