Mitigating Mandelson risks would have been impossible, says former MI6 chief

The Guardian World Thursday 28 May 2026, 07:00 UTC By Paul Lewis, Pippa Crerar and Henry Dyer 1 min read

Key Points

A former MI6 chief stated that mitigating the risks associated with Peter Mandelson's connections to senior figures in China, Russia, and Israel would have been impossible during his time as UK ambassador to the US. These concerns were revealed by The Guardian and contributed to security officials recommending that Mandelson be denied developed vetting clearance in early 2025.

Vetting of former UK ambassador to Washington warned of ties to senior figures in China, Russia and Israel

A former head of MI6 has said it would have been “totally impossible” for the Foreign Office to put in place mitigations to manage Peter Mandelson’s associations with senior figures in China, Russia and Israel when he was the UK’s ambassador to the US.

On Wednesday, the Guardian revealed some of the concerns that contributed to security officials recommending that Mandelson be denied developed vetting clearance in early 2025.

Originally published by The Guardian World Read original →

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Mitigating Mandelson risks would have been impossible, says former MI6 chief

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