Mandelson Ambassador Pressure: Robbins Testimony

0:00On April 21st, Oliver Robbins, the former top civil servant at the foreign office, just testified that he walked into non-stop pressure from downing, street to rush Peter Mandelson into the job as UK ambassador to the United States. Starmer had already picked Mandelson before Robbins even started and before any security checks were done. No ten pushed hard for speed, wanting him in Washington before the inauguration, and they skipped the usual vetting at first. Seeing your official saw it as a done deal from the Prime Minister's team, no matter the risks. Mandelson got building access, basic IT, and even sensitive briefings without full clearance yet. The security vets called Mandelson, a borderline case, and leaned toward blocking him, before an office expert figured they could handle the risks. With some fixes, Robbins got brief verbally but never saw the full papers. Pressure came straight from the PM's private office, likely passing on higher orders. Robbins held firm on confidentiality, skipped requesting docs later, and now questions swirl

1:02over quickly to the press right after internal. Warnings. This saga exposes real tensions at the top on security calls.