The former head of MI6, Sir Richard Dearlove, has condemned Keir Starmer for “appalling judgment in appointing” Lord Mandelson to be Britain’s US ambassador. The former prime spook, generally known as ‘C’, took to LBC to sentence the Prime Minister’s determination, warning that both Lord Mandelson lied throughout his vetting – which one can not do – or No. 10 made a “massive misjudgement” in appointing him anyway regardless of the warnings.
Yesterday it was claimed that the safety companies did flag Lord Mandelson’s relationship with Jeffrey Epstein in the course of the vetting course of, however these involved have been ignored by Downing Street. Sir Richard argued: “Bear in mind that Mandelson’s a guy with an integrity problem – he had twice been removed from ministerial office! He has a dodgy background. Okay I’m not saying he isn’t a super talented guy, but he’s a guy with an integrity problem.”
“So if you’re going to appoint him you have to vet him very, very, very carefully.”
The former prime spy, who led MI6 throughout Tony Blair’s invasion of Iraq, defined that the vetting course of is carried about by the Foreign Office, although it might be that the safety service did have a job as a result of seniority of the position.
“The vetting of ministers is a slightly grey area, it’s the responsibility of the Director General of MI5, the Prime Minister and people in the Cabinet Office. But this strictly speaking was a departmental appointment, not a ministerial appointment.”
Asked how stunned he was by Lord Mandelson’s appointment within the first place, Sir Richard replied: “Very!”
“I just thought the appointment was highly inappropriate. Now the reason I said that was because of his relationship with Russian oligarchs and Chinese companies since his disappearance from the frontline.
“I thought they were sitting on top of a large explosive charge, which has proved to be the case.”
Yesterday Sky News reported two sources who insist that the safety companies did flag considerations about Lord Mandelson to No. 10 as a part of the vetting course of, however have been overruled by Downing Street.
This morning Sir Keir Starmer’s spokesman defended the vetting system, whereas suggesting that the emails between Lord Mandelson and Jeffrey Epstein didn’t floor. It is known that the embarrassing love-filled communication between the 2 have been despatched from an previous e-mail deal with that Lord Mandelson didn’t have entry to when the vetting course of was carried out.
Responding to Sky’s claims, Conservative Foreign Secretary Priti Patel mentioned the revelations are “extraordinary”.
Dame Priti blasted: “For Keir Starmer, and his Chief of Staff Morgan McSweeney, to have appointed Lord Mandelson despite concerns being raised by the Security Services shows a blatant disregard of all national security considerations and their determination to promote their Labour Party friends.
“Starmer leads a crisis riddled government consumed by a chaos of his own making, because he puts his Party before the needs of our country.
“The country deserves the honest truth this spineless Prime Minister refuses to give them.”
https://www.express.co.uk/news/politics/2107590/Richard-Dearlove-MI6-Mandelson