Starmer announced on Monday that he had ordered a review into any security concerns that arose during Mandelson’s time in office. This in itself suggests the scandal might expand.
MPs are questioning the extent of access Mandelson had to top secret documents under the UK’s “STRAP” protocol. Access to these high-level documents is complex and varies by situation, with each document having an assigned group of people who are allowed to see it based on necessity. Thus, we might never know what Mandelson actually saw.
7) What else could emerge?
A significant issue that arose on Monday indicates that unexpected events can easily disrupt the prime minister’s agenda.
This time, it pertained to a memo sent to Starmer in November 2024 from former Cabinet Secretary Simon Case. This memo had already been released by the government weeks ago but had not attracted much attention. It suggested that Starmer should allow civil servants to obtain security clearances and perform due diligence to uncover any issues “before confirming your choice” of ambassador.
MPs pressed Starmer with questions regarding the Case memo. He prepared a response, stating that Wormald had since evaluated the process and indicated it was standard practice to vet external appointees only after they were announced.
However, officials involved in the advice from Case to Starmer believed they were advising the PM that vetting should be completed before appointing the new ambassador, according to a person familiar with the situation who was given anonymity to discuss a sensitive issue.
A major potential twist is still pending — the upcoming release of thousands of emails, text messages, and WhatsApp messages between Mandelson and government figures. Even Starmer cannot predict how the story will progress from there.
Additional reporting by Tim Ross.
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