Overview
- Cabinet Secretary Chris Wormald told the Foreign Affairs Committee the PM received a Cabinet Office report outlining reputational risks, including Mandelson’s past association with Jeffrey Epstein.
- Wormald said the Bloomberg emails later published were not available during due diligence and were described as gamechanging, with their release prompting Mandelson’s withdrawal.
- Foreign Office chief Oliver Robbins confirmed Mandelson is off the government payroll and declined to say whether any settlement was paid, citing contractual confidentiality and standard reporting thresholds.
- Because the post was a direct ministerial appointment, there was no panel interview, and officials said guidance has been updated so politically appointed ambassadors face a pre-appointment interview that replicates panel scrutiny.
- Robbins said No 10 was aware of a media inquiry about the emails before PMQs but not the full contents, as officials sought to verify the material and emphasized a duty of care to an employee.