'It’s astonishing': PM's top aide insists NO minister told Mandelson failed vetting and says Starmer did not mislead MPs
Sir Keir Starmer is facing mounting pressure to resign and a top civil servant was sacked after it emerged the Foreign Office overruled a security vetting process to clear Lord Peter Mandelson to become UK ambassador to the US.
The Chief Secretary to the Prime Minister told LBC this morning that he has no concerns over the Prime Minister’s future and that it is “astonishing” that the Foreign Office was able to overrule the vetting process for Lord Peter Mandelson.
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Darren Jones said the Prime Minister is “furious” that the top Labour Peer's appointment as US ambassador was allowed to go ahead, despite failing checks.
And he admitted that it's embarrassing for the government that the shocking revelations have come to light.
But he was unable to say why Lord Mandelson failed that vetting - and why no one was told at the time.
Sir Keir Starmer is facing mounting pressure after it emerged the Foreign Office overruled a crucial security vetting process.
Last night Foreign Office permanent under-secretary Sir Olly Robbins was sacked by the PM in light of the extraordinary revelations.
Security officials at 'UK Security Vetting' - a branch of the Cabinet Office - initially denied the clearance, but Foreign Office officials took the "astonishing" step of overruling the recommendation.
Speaking to LBC's Nick Ferrari at Breakfast this morning, in the first interview by a government minister since the news broke on Thursday, Mr Jones insisted that no minister was aware of the failed vetting, a flaw in the system.
He told Nick: "It's astonishing.
"The Foreign Office had the right to overrule the recommendation put to it by UK Security Vetting not to appoint Peter Mandelson as Ambassador.
"When the Foreign Office chose to overrule that advice, DV clearance vetting clearance had been cleared and Peter Mandelson was allowed to be appointed to the role.
"It's beyond unacceptable. We need to take action to make sure it cannot happen ever again".
He said he's suspended the right for the Foreign Office and any other organisations to have the right to over-rule these vetting process, in a bid to stop it from ever happening again.
The Prime Minister's expected to make a statement to the House of Commons next week, but is facing questions about what he knew, and when.
Mr Jones said the PM was only told about the failed vetting on Tuesday night, and ordered an urgent probe to find out what happened.
Opposition politicians are asking why he hasn't made a statement on this at the earliest opportunity.
The revelation came to light this week as part of a release of documents due to come "very soon", Mr Jones told LBC.
Parliament has voted to publish all documents related to the vetting.
Mr Jones said; "The Humble Address has been a process that has required my department to go across government to summon documents that relate to the documents requested by the Humble Address.
"We've already published the first tranche of information. The second tranche of information is due to come before Parliament very soon....
"We're not far off of being able to publish the second tranche of information when this information became available, the information that UK security vetting had recommended against his appointment. Of course, legal advice was taken about being able to include that in the Humble Address. And we intend to do so once it's gone through the Met Police and the Intelligence and Security Committee."
It's understood that neither Lord Mandelson nor Morgan McSweeney, the prime minister's former aide, was aware that the peer had failed that vetting.
Mr Jones insisted that when the PM was talking to MPs about the vetting he'd seen - this was only initial documents from the Cabinet Office, not the full failed vetting.
Critics have accused the PM of misleading the House of Commons when he said "due process was followed" at all times, which the government denies.
Mr Jones said: "The Prime Minister in the House was referring to due diligence undertaken by the proprietary and ethics team in the Cabinet Office. That is separate to the then enhanced security cheques undertaken by UK Security Vetting.
"The documents that are put together by the security and vetting team are kept very, very tight because they contain deeply personal information about the individuals being scrutinised.
"They go through financial, personal, sexual, religious and other types of background information, and that is why it is kept extremely private on a portal that only a few people have access to.
"The Prime Minister was not given those documents because he would not routinely be given them about individuals appointments.
"Due process was followed, but the fact that due process allowed for the foreign office to ignore the advice of UK security vetting, is astonishing."