Starmer's Envoy: Security Clearance Gap

0:00On April 30, Keir Starmer is under fire again for letting another top-labor figure jump into a sensitive job without full security clearance. This time, it's Jonathan Powell, Tony Blair's old chief of staff who got tapped as special envoy for Chagos Island's talks with Mauritius back in, September 2024. Powell started holding foreign office meetings the month before, back in August, and got access to classified docs, including Prime Minister meeting. In minutes, his full developed vetting only kicked off later when he became National Security Advisor in November. Starmer's former advisor, Morgan McSweeney, admitted they appointed Powell before the checks, saying they began the process after. Tories are raising alarms over risks to the US-UK, Diego Garcia, based on Chagos, plus Powell's business ties to China at the time. It mirrors the Peter Mandelson mess, where he got US ambassador access pre-clearance too. Government insists Powell had proper permissions and info was shared.

1:01Right, but no tin can explain missing records of Starmer's Mandelson decision, meeting. Questions keep piling up on these rushed picks and national security gaps, with calls for Parliament to dig deeper into what Powell saw and who else. Might have been fast-tracked.