What did Morgan McSweeney and Philip Barton tell MPs about Mandelson’s vetting?

Morgan McSweeney, the prime minister’s former chief of staff, gave his first public appearance at a high-stakes hearing of the foreign affairs select committee to be grilled on the appointment – and vetting – of the disgraced US ambassador Peter Mandelson. He was preceded by the former Foreign Office chief Philip Barton, who oversaw the early formal process for Mandelson’s appointment. Here’s what we learned.Barton said that there was “absolutely” pressure on the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) to get Mandelson to Washington as quickly as possible, though he drew the same distinction as the prime minister that there was a difference between pressure to grant vetting and pressure to do the process quickly.He said that No 10 was “uninterested” in the vetting process, and the inquiries were about the pace at which he could arrive in Washington, ideally before the inauguration

Man who heckled Shabana Mahmood dismisses ‘laughable’ white liberal claim

A protester who heckled Shabana Mahmood said he came to the UK as a child from Malaysia, describing the home secretary’s claim that he was a “white liberal” as “laughable”.Joe, 32, who did not wish to give his last name, migrated from Malaysia at the age of four with his family. He said the home secretary’s proposed immigration rule changes would have left him, and thousands of children like him, in limbo.“Imagine being a child growing up and not knowing whether you’re going to be deported out of this country?” he said.Mahmood told “white liberal” hecklers to “fuck right off” during a live interview in central London last week, after protesters accused her of copying the policies of Nigel Farage’s Reform UK during an on-stage event

What is ‘DV’? Key terms used in the Mandelson vetting row explained

The story of how Peter Mandelson failed his UK security vetting before he took up his post as ambassador to the US – and the overturning of the decision that he should not be given clearance – is full of the abbreviations of the British national security apparatus and the archaic language used to describe parliamentary process.Here are the key terms to understand about the story, as Morgan McSweeney and Philip Barton answer questions from the foreign affairs select committee. McSweeney, formerly Keir Starmer’s chief of staff, and the ex-Foreign Office chief Barton are giving evidence about who knew what, when.At the heart of the story is Mandelson’s application for a level of security clearance known as “developed vetting” (DV) made after his appointment as ambassador had been announced.According to a government guide to security clearance levels, officials in roles that require them to have “frequent and uncontrolled access” to top secret material and assets need to have DV

Welsh Labour faces ‘existential’ change as party braces for May election defeat

Welsh Labour is the democratic world’s most successful election-winning machine, coming first in Wales in every general election since 1922 and every devolved election since 1999. Come next month’s Senedd election, however, this history-making run is expected to end.Labour’s collapse has left a vacuum, and former Labour voters are going to opposite ends of the political spectrum. Plaid Cymru and Nigel Farage’s Reform UK are neck and neck in the latest poll, although coalition maths make it highly unlikely Reform would be able to form a government.The possibility of Labour losing power after 27 years and the pro-independence Plaid entering government as a senior partner for the first time means “this election is huge”, said Laura McAllister, a professor of public policy at Cardiff University

Britain becoming ‘soft target’ for Russian propaganda, says security expert

Britain is becoming a soft target for Russian and other state propaganda because the UK is not prepared to educate people on how to deal with information warfare, according to a former White House adviser and security expert.Fiona Hill told a parliamentary committee that she feared the UK had become “extraordinarily vulnerable” to online manipulation feeding into the electoral system because there was a lack of discussion about civil defence.“I think part of the problem is also on the societal level: that the UK increasingly looks like a soft target rather than a hard target, because modern war, as we all know, is fought with so many different methods now, including propaganda,” Hill said.She contrasted the UK with Sweden, which has an idea of “psychological defence”. It is about “training people to think about how you deal with all kinds of information warfare, so people can recognise when they’re being manipulated”

Top Foreign Office official ‘felt pressure’ for ‘rapid outcome’ on Mandelson vetting

A top Foreign Office security official who played a key role in granting Peter Mandelson’s vetting clearance “felt pressure to deliver a rapid outcome” because of contacts from Downing Street, MPs have been told.In testimony relayed to parliament via the Foreign Office (FCDO), Ian Collard said he had not seen the assessment summary produced by the vetting agency when he gave an oral briefing to Olly Robbins, the department’s former permanent secretary. Instead, Collard had received an oral briefing from a member of the FCDO’s personnel security team.Robbins was dismissed from his position by Keir Starmer on 16 April after the Guardian revealed the FCDO gave Mandelson “developed vetting” clearance despite United Kingdom Security Vetting (UKSV) recommending it not be granted in late January 2025. The clearance was necessary for Mandelson to take up his announced role as British ambassador to Washington