Peter Mandelson: a timeline of his appointment as UK ambassador to US
In a pivotal Commons statement to MPs on Monday, Keir Starmer laid out the most detailed timeline of Peter Mandelson’s appointment as the UK ambassador to the US, the vetting process that ended with the Foreign Office overruling the UK Security Vetting (UKSV) and what he said were chances to tell him that civil servants had failed to take.Cabinet Office conducts a due diligence exercise on how suitable Mandelson was for the role.Starmer told the Commons his No 10 staff put questions to Mandelson on the department’s behalf.Mandelson responded to questions from the Cabinet Office’s due diligence exercise, posed to him by Downing Street staff, Starmer told MPs in the Commons.“I made the decision to appoint him,” Starmer told MPs, after receiving final advice on the due diligence process on 11 December 2024.
Despite his known links to the disgraced financier and sex offender Jeffrey Epstein and having been forced to resign twice as a minister in previous governments, Mandelson is appointed as US ambassador,UKSV carried out Mandelson’s vetting “in the normal way”, the prime minister said which includes, “collecting relevant information as well as interviewing the applicant, in this case on two occasions”,Speaking to the Commons, Starmer insisted that it was “usual for security vetting to happen after the appointment but before starting in post”, given that was the procedure in place at the time,The prime minister, fully in a defensive posture, insisted Mandelson’s appointment was made “subject to security clearance”,UKSV recommended to the Foreign Office that developed vetting clearance should be denied to Mandelson.
Foreign Office “officials made the decision to grant developed vetting clearance for Peter Mandelson”, Starmer told MPs fully blaming the department’s former head civil servant,The prime minister went further attacking FCDO civil servants saying “for many departments, a decision from the UKSV is binding, but for the (FCDO), the final decision on developed vetting clearance is made by Foreign Office officials not UKSV”,The prime minister claims he only realised Mandelson lied in the due diligence exercise when Bloomberg released emails which revealed Mandelson had told Epstein to “fight for early release”,Starmer sacked Mandelson as UK ambassador to the US hours after the Independent asked No 10 whether Mandelson was actually cleared by vetting,A spokesperson replied: “Vetting done by FCDO in normal way.
”In a bid to prove his case, the prime minister quoted on the floor of the Commons that his former cabinet secretary Chris Wormald told the foreign affairs select committee that when the government makes appointments “from outside the civil service, the normal thing is for security clearance to happen after the appointment, but before the person signs a contract and takes up post”.The prime minister quotes his former cabinet secretary again at the dispatch box, this time referring to Wormald’s conclusion, long after Mandelson was sacked, that “appropriate processes” were followed at the Foreign Office.At 8pm, last Tuesday, Starmer said he “found out for the first time that on the 29 January 2025, before Peter Mandelson took up his position as ambassador of the Foreign Office, officials granted him developed vetting clearance against the specific recommendation of the UKSVA”.In the same meeting with officials Starmer said he asked them to “urgently establish the facts”, because he wanted to know “who made the decision on what basis”.Olly Robbins was forced out of his job as the permanent secretary of the Foreign Office, after the Guardian revealed his department overruled a decision to deny Mandelson security vetting clearance.
Robbins, the former permanent secretary of the Foreign Office, cabinet secretary Antonia Romeo and another top civil servant failed to immediately tell the prime minister that Mandelson should be denied clearance, this newspaper revealed.Starmer said he took responsibility for appointing Mandelson, but blamed Foreign Office officials for “not passing information to me” that would have highlighted Mandelson failed security clearance.The prime minister insists he wouldn’t have hired Mandelson if he had known this was the case.The prime minister also ordered an investigation into security concerns relating to Mandelson’s tenure.“There is no law that stops civil servants sensibly flagging UKSV recommendations while protecting detailed, sensitive vetting information, to allow ministers to make judgments on appointments or on explaining matters to parliament,” he said.
Helen Goh’s recipe for Anzac sandwich biscuits with dark chocolate filling | The sweet spot
Anzac biscuits are closely associated with Anzac Day on 25 April, which commemorates the members of the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps who served in the first world war. Made with oats, coconut and golden syrup, the biscuits are said to have been popular because they travelled well and kept for long periods, making them suitable for sending to forces overseas. My version here, a slightly less austere take on the classic, sandwiches two small biscuits with a lightly salted, olive oil-enriched dark chocolate ganache. The result is crisp at the edges, soft within and not too sweet.Prep 5 min Cook 35 min, plus cooling Makes 12 sFor the biscuits 90g rolled oats 45g plain flour 40g light brown sugar 30g caster sugar 40g desiccated coconut 80g unsalted butter 40g golden syrup ½ tsp bicarbonate of soda ¼ tsp fine sea saltFor the ganache110g dark chocolate (60-70% cocoa solids), chopped60ml single cream 2 tsp olive oil ¼ tsp flaky sea saltPut the oats, flour, sugars and coconut in a medium bowl and whisk to combine
Just the tonic: why it’s more than a mixer
If a tonic is something that “makes you feel stronger and happier”, my tonics come in the form of good wine, bad chocolate and an ageing whippet called Ernie. Recently, though, I’ve found myself craving the OG tonic – tonic water – which started life as a malaria treatment in the age of the British empire.The Guardian’s journalism is independent. We will earn a commission if you buy something through an affiliate link. Learn more
Move over matcha: how ube cocktails and coffees are hitting the UK’s sweet spot
Bright purple coffees and cocktails made with a root vegetable called ube have hit the high street in the UK after the yam’s striking hue caused a sensation on social media. Many are calling ube the “new matcha”, and it has a nutty, creamy, sweet taste, like a mix between coconut and vanilla.Ube coloured and flavoured drinks became popular in the US last year, after an earlier boom in Australia. Farmers in the Philippines, where the root vegetable is often sourced, have been struggling to meet demand.Now, the purple drinks have crossed the pond: Starbucks and Costa both launched ube drinks in their UK stores last month
Rachel Roddy’s ‘high-ranking’ penne with potatoes, cabbage, butter and cheese – recipe
In December 2023, the magazine La Cucina Italiana ranked Italians’ favourite pasta shapes, according to data gathered by Unione Italiana Food (“the leading association in Italy for the direct representation of food product categories”). I love this sort of thing. According to the UIF, by processing NielsenIQ data (comprehensive market research, consumer intelligence and retail measurement), they identified the five most popular shapes from over 500, and examined how preferences vary in different regions.In first place was spaghetti, while penne came in second, with these two shapes – which also takes in thinner spaghettini, chunkier spaghettoni and both ridged and smooth penne – accounting for 78% of all pasta sold in Italy in 2023. The regional variations of three, four and five are as follows: in the north-west and north-east, fusilli, short pasta and mixed pasta for broth or minestra; in central Italy, short pasta, fusilli and rigatoni; in the south, mixed pasta for broth or minestra, short pasta and tortiglioni
How to turn old bread into a brilliant Italian cake – recipe | Waste not
Old sourdough is my secret ingredient. To stop it going mouldy, I take it out of any plastic packaging and keep it in the bread bin with plenty of airflow around it – that way, it will dry out slowly, rather than turning mouldy. Any odds and ends, meanwhile, I store in a cloth bag to use in various dishes, from pangrattato (or poor man’s parmesan) to strata, a savoury bread-and-butter pudding.My new favourite recipe discovery for using up stale bread is today’s torta paesana, or village cake, from Lombardy. The best way I can come up with to describe it is that it’s a bit like a firm baked custard
Roast chicken, cheesy scones and a genius cocktail: Ravinder Bhogal’s recipes for cooking with lime pickle
I’m obsessed with lime pickle. It’s savoury, sour, funky, spicy and full of bold personality that enlivens anything it’s smeared on. It’s made by salting and fermenting limes with chillies and spices for a fierce, flavour-packed condiment that’s traditionally eaten as a side to poppadoms or with simple dal and rice. Over the years, I have also folded it into grilled cheese toasties, marinades for fat prawns to barbecue in the summer or made compound butters with it to smother over sweet potatoes before roasting. It’s an instant flavour bomb and my pantry is never without a jar
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