The Foreign Affairs Committee has declared the appointment of Peter Mandelson as UK ambassador to the United States “nothing short of disastrous” and is demanding a veto over all future political appointments to top diplomatic posts. In a scathing report published on Thursday, the cross-party group of MPs said the due process in Mandelson’s case “was being made up as it went along”.
Mandelson, a veteran Labour figure, was named ambassador in 2024 and formally took up the role in February 2025 – but was sacked later that year after the US Department of Justice published email exchanges with the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. The committee concluded the episode had been “highly damaging” for the British government and “painful and offensive to the victims of Jeffrey Epstein”.
“MPs demand veto over future political ambassador picks after report slams Peter Mandelson's 'disastrous' appointment.”
Behind the scenes, the UK’s security vetting agency recommended in late January 2025 that Mandelson should not be awarded the high-level Developed Vetting clearance required for the Washington posting. Among its concerns, according to sources, were his associations with senior figures in China, Russia and Israel, as well as a £1m loan. But the Foreign Office overruled that recommendation. By the time senior civil servants were reviewing the vetting findings, Mandelson had already been announced by Sir Keir Starmer, and his appointment had been approved by the US government and King Charles.
Sir Olly Robbins, then the Foreign Office’s top civil servant, was sacked by Starmer earlier this year over the affair. After his removal, Sir Olly described an “atmosphere of pressure” and “constant chasing” from Number 10 while security checks were taking place. The committee said its initial queries had been met with “partial truths” rather than full answers from the government.
Now the committee, chaired by Labour MP Emily Thornberry, is seeking new powers. Its report recommends that no public appointments should be announced or made without appropriate security clearance first being granted. It also calls for compulsory pre-appointment hearings for political appointees – but not for career civil servants – and a committee veto “if the appointee is not felt to meet the standard required”. The report says lessons must be learned and a “proper process” set out for political appointments. Whether the government will accept such a sweeping check on its power remains to be seen.