Will Olly Robbins’ testimony jeopardise Keir Starmer’s defence?
On Monday, Keir Starmer testified in front of the Commons about what he knew about the vetting process behind Peter Mandelson’s appointment as ambassador to Washington,On Tuesday, Olly Robbins – whom Starmer sacked as head of the Foreign Office last week – will give his side of the story under questioning by MPs on the foreign affairs select committee,Robbins is said by friends to be upset by the claims ministers are making,But what are the questions he will be asked, and what might they mean for the prime minister’s future?Robbins is very unlikely to give details of the vetting process or what exactly officials discovered, given this is supposed to be strictly confidential,But MPs are likely to press him on whether anything new was found during the vetting process or whether it only flagged previously known concerns.
If the checks turned up only what was known about previously, Robbins can argue there was no need to pass the decision to No 10.If there was something new, however, Starmer will have an even stronger case to argue he should have been told.Robbins is likely to argue that he was following established process by taking his own decision on Mandelson’s clearance after receiving the advice from the vetting officials.But even if this is not a unique circumstance, it is extremely rare to defy the advice of UKSV in this way.And the question remains whether anyone at a political level encouraged or even told Robbins to grant Mandelson his clearance come what may.
Some say Starmer’s aides applied heavy pressure to Robbins’ predecessor Philip Barton to expedite Mandelson’s approval, but so far there has been no evidence that they did the same to Robbins over the vetting process.The prime minister said on Monday it was “staggering” that neither he nor any of his ministerial colleagues or aides had been told that Mandelson had not passed his vetting checks.He said there were “repeated occasions” when officials – presumably including Robbins – made “a deliberate decision” not to tell him.Robbins’ allies say Starmer had made his political preference clear by announcing the appointment before the vetting took place, and so it was Robbins’ job to make sure the appointment went smoothly.They add that it was normal practice not to inform ministers of the recommendations of UKSV, and that doing so could even have broken a law which says ministers should not have control over the vetting process.
Those close to the prime minister however say that while it may have been illegal for Starmer to be involved in the process, it would not have been for him to be informed of it.One particular question is why Robbins did not tell the former cabinet secretary Chris Wormald, who was his line manager and who conducted a review of the vetting process.Starmer said on Monday that he announced Mandelson’s appointment before developed vetting could be undertaken because “it was what I understood to be the usual process”.Documents released as part of the first tranche of releases to the Intelligence and Security Committee (ISC) show however that the former permanent secretary Simon Case advised the prime minister to carry out the vetting first.Another related question is why Mandelson appeared to have been given a Foreign Office pass with a green stripe denoting security clearance, weeks before Robbins made a decision on the UKSV advice.
Such a pass gives the holder access to sensitive areas across government, not just in the Foreign Office.On what basis, and on whose authority, was Mandelson given that pass, and who was consulted beforehand? In recent weeks, officials have been debating whether highly confidential documents pertaining to Mandelson’s vetting could be released to parliament.As part of a transparency process voted for by MPs, documents deemed prejudicial to national security or international relations were supposed to be referred to the ISC which would decide if the public should see them.There were concerns about disclosing Mandelson’s vetting file however, as well as a separate Foreign Office document explaining Robbins’ decision.Some officials argued that disclosure of such files would be “unprecedented” and should be avoided on national security grounds.
Given his personal conflict of interest in the matter, did Robbins recuse himself from those discussions? If not, did he in any way resist the documents being disclosed to parliament?
Barking dogs and a real estate agent: how a farcical AFL tribunal could prompt change | Jo Khan
In words no one could have predicted using two weeks ago, in the end it was a real estate agent who ostensibly brought down the AFL’s case against Zak Butters. The Port Adelaide player was cleared of umpire abuse on Monday night, after the AFL appeals board overturned the tribunal’s verdict based on an “error of law” through a “miscarriage of justice”. It brought to a close a farcical chapter that started with missing evidence and ended with barking dogs. And between those unusual bookends, Butters’ case took several other unexpectedly comical turns.Umpire abuse is a serious issue – one that permeates every level of sport from grassroots to the elite – and cracking down on it at the top level sends an important message
‘I hope it doesn’t get him down’: Usain Bolt tells Gout Gout to get ready to lose
Like running fast, growing pains are something sprint lord Usain Bolt knows something about. So when he tells teenage phenomenon Gout Gout that his first steps into the world of senior athletics will not be easy, the Australian ought to take heed.“I know it’s going to be an eye-opener,” Bolt told CNN of Gout’s first year as an adult, and an impending succession of showdowns against the world’s best sprinters. “And I hope it doesn’t get him down, but motivate him to work even harder.”Bolt showed huge promise as a teenager, winning the world juniors as a 15-year-old, but it was not until he overcame injury struggles and off-track distractions that he was able to become a world beater, when he won gold in Beijing as a 21-year-old
Fitness influencer drowns during swimming portion of Ironman Texas
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FIA confirms F1 rule changes in reaction to driver unhappiness and safety fears
The FIA has confirmed rule changes for the current Formula One season as the sport reacts to driver dissatisfaction and safety concerns with the new regulations. The adapted rules address the energy management issues that have proved controversial across the opening three meetings this year.Technical and sporting considerations had been discussed twice since the last round in Japan and on Monday senior representatives, including the FIA, team principals and their chief executives, the power unit manufacturers and F1’s chief executive, Stefano Domenicali, formally agreed the changes. They remain subject to ratification by the world motorsport council, a formality expected to be concluded before the next round in Miami on 3 May.There has been disquiet among many drivers at the role energy management now plays in the sport with an almost 50-50 split between power from the combustion engine and electrical energy
County cricket: Abell defies Hampshire’s fiery Baker to keep Somerset on high – as it happened
A micro-round of Championship games finished with three knuckle gnawers and one that petered quietly into a bad-light induced draw.At Southampton, Tom Abell guided Somerset to their second win of the season, leaving them top of Division One and flames ablaze in every West Country heart. His calm 101 not out, his second century of the season, defied even an eye-catching bowling performance from Hampshire’s Sonny Baker (five for 62). Run-up almost back to the rope, Baker pistoled in and, with a last-chance new ball, caterwauled Lewis Gregory’s middle stump and had Alfie Ogborne, a former housemate, tickling behind. But Abell, with stoic support from Jack Leach, saw Somerset home by two wickets
Why time is not on big-spending Joorabchian’s side in make-or-break season
There was an unexpected, jarring moment in the winner’s enclosure at Newmarket last week as Kevin Philippart de Foy, the principal trainer for the football super-agent Kia Joorabchian’s Amo Racing operation, prepared to discuss his win with Sovereign Spell in the opening race on Craven Stakes day.The familiar “huddle” of reporters was ready to hear what might come next for the three-year-old, but first, the trainer had a question of his own: was anyone there to report for the Racing Post? Amo Racing and the British turf’s trade paper, it seems, are not currently on speaking terms, for reasons best known to themselves.Welcome back to the latest run of the compelling and highly unpredictable docudrama in which Joorabchian attempts to buy his way to racing’s top table. What better moment to catch up on some of the twists and turns in the story arc so far?Back in 2024, long-time viewers will recall, Joorabchian launched a full-frontal assault on the Book 1 sale at Tattersalls in October, going toe-to-toe with the biggest beasts in the game to recruit 22.9m gns (£24m) of yearlings to race in Amo’s purple colours
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