PM Faces Scrutiny Over Mandelson Appointment

0:00On April 20, the Prime Minister is catching heat for allegedly breaching the ministerial code by delaying word to Parliament about fresh evidence that undercuts his earlier claims of full due process in appointing Peter Mandelson as U.S. Ambassador. Back in late March, U.K. security vetting officials recommended against giving Mandelson developed vetting clearance, but that key detail only surfaced. Recently, officials at the cabinet office, led by permanent secretary Cat Little, uncovered the document while pulling files for a parliamentary review. She looped in top civil servant Dame Antonio Romeo, consulted government lawyers, and finally briefed the PM last week. Tory MP Alex Burkhart slammed the delay, saying senior officials knew for weeks, and the PM had enough info by Tuesday to correct the record, but held. Off until journalists pushed the story. Lib Dems are demanding the privileges committee probe if he misled Parliament and the ethics advisor check for code violations, calling it a national, security risk and trust breaker. Defenders like

1:02Science Secretary Liz Kendall argue he needed every fact straight first, learning from past messes. Labour backbenture Tom Hayes added the PM task as team to verify everything before facing MPs on Monday. This saga keeps unfolding, with the PM set to address the comments soon and set the record straight once and for all.