| Topic: | Re:Reply | |
| Posted by: | Steven Rose | |
| Date/Time: | 21/04/26 18:02:00 |
| Like many people tuned in this morning to watch Olly Robbins giving evidence to the Foreign Affairs committee. He seemed pleasant and intelligent but I was not wholly convinced by his answers: 1) He complained about the pressure exerted on the Foreign Office by unnamed officials at Number Ten to confirm Mandelson's appointment. He also made it clear that there would have been uproar if the Foreign Office had rejected the Prime Minister's choice of ambassador. But at the same time he asserted that his officials were not influenced in any way by government pressure in deciding to set aside the vetting committee's advice that Mandelson should not be appointed. That seems to me to be a contradiction. Was government pressure a factor or not? 2) Starmer told Parliament yesterday that the vetting committee had advised that Mandelson should not be appointed to the post of ambassador, adding that if he had known that he would never have allowed the appointment to go ahead. But according to Olly Robbins the chairman of the vetting committee told him personally that the committee were only 'leaning against' Mandelson's appointment, implying that it was a borderline case which could be managed. So what is the truth 3) Robbins defended the decision not to tell the Prime Minister or the Foreign Secretary of the Cabinet Secretary about the vetting committee's advice because of concerns about confidentiality. But no one was asking him to reveal the contents of the vetting document, merely its conclusion. Was Mandelson regarded as suitable or not? In my opinion Foreign Office officials had been obstructive, prioritising their own arcane procedures above the requests of the Prime Minister and indeed Parliament itself. But none of this exonerates Starmer from the charge of incompetence. For it seems that the information contained in the vetting report was known to Starmer when he first chose Mandelson. |
| Topic | Date Posted | Posted By |
| Starmer Lied Over Mandelson’s Vetting | 16/04/26 16:42:00 | Sue Hammond |
| Re:Starmer Lied Over Mandelson’s Vetting | 16/04/26 17:07:00 | Sue Hammond |
| Re:Re:Starmer Lied Over Mandelson’s Vetting | 16/04/26 20:12:00 | Michael Brigo |
| Re:Re:Re:Starmer Lied Over Mandelson’s Vetting | 16/04/26 20:30:00 | Sue Hammond |
| Re:Re:Re:Re:Starmer Lied Over Mandelson’s Vetting | 16/04/26 20:50:00 | Steven Rose |
| Re:Re:Re:Re:Re:Starmer Lied Over Mandelson’s Vetting | 17/04/26 09:26:00 | John Hawkes |
| Re:Re:Re:Re:Starmer Lied Over Mandelson’s Vetting | 16/04/26 20:59:00 | Robert Wheeler |
| Re:Re:Re:Re:Re:Starmer Lied Over Mandelson’s Vetting | 16/04/26 22:11:00 | Andy Pike |
| Reply | 16/04/26 23:33:00 | Michael Ixer |
| Reply | 16/04/26 23:52:00 | Sue Hammond |
| Starmer Lied Over Mandelson’s Vetting | 17/04/26 00:16:00 | Sue Hammond |
| Re:Reply | 17/04/26 00:25:00 | Steven Rose |
| Reply | 17/04/26 08:49:00 | Michael Brigo |
| Re:Reply | 17/04/26 09:24:00 | Andy Pike |
| Re:Re:Reply | 17/04/26 09:33:00 | Michael Brigo |
| Re:Re:Re:Reply | 17/04/26 10:46:00 | Andy Pike |
| Re:Re:Re:Re:Reply | 17/04/26 15:05:00 | Michael Brigo |
| Re:Re:Re:Re:Re:Reply | 17/04/26 15:28:00 | Andy Pike |
| Re:Re:Re:Re:Re:Re:Reply | 17/04/26 16:49:00 | Michael Brigo |
| Re:Re:Re:Re:Re:Re:Re:Reply | 17/04/26 17:24:00 | Andy Pike |
| Re:Re:Re:Re:Re:Re:Re:Re:Reply | 17/04/26 18:49:00 | Michael Brigo |
| Re:Re:Re:Re:Re:Re:Re:Re:Re:Reply | 17/04/26 20:01:00 | Andy Pike |
| Reply | 17/04/26 21:45:00 | Michael Brigo |
| Re:Reply | 17/04/26 21:47:00 | Michael Brigo |
| Re:Re:Reply | 17/04/26 22:34:00 | Andy Pike |
| Re:Re:Re:Reply | 18/04/26 00:08:00 | Michael Brigo |
| Re:Re:Re:Re:Reply | 18/04/26 07:25:00 | Andy Pike |
| Re:Re:Re:Re:Re:Reply | 18/04/26 07:36:00 | Michael Brigo |
| Re:Re:Re:Re:Re:Re:Reply | 18/04/26 09:16:00 | Andy Pike |
| Reply | 17/04/26 22:34:00 | Michael Ixer |
| Re:Starmer Lied Over Mandelson’s Vetting | 17/04/26 09:37:00 | Steven Rose |
| Reply | 17/04/26 09:46:00 | Martine Guy |
| Reply | 17/04/26 10:24:00 | Martine Guy |
| Starmer Lied Over Mandelson’s Vetting | 17/04/26 13:14:00 | Sue Hammond |
| Re:Starmer Lied Over Mandelson’s Vetting | 17/04/26 13:30:00 | Robert Wheeler |
| Re:Re:Starmer Lied Over Mandelson’s Vetting | 17/04/26 15:08:00 | Michael Brigo |
| Re:Starmer Lied Over Mandelson’s Vetting | 17/04/26 13:41:00 | John Hawkes |
| Olly Fights Back | 17/04/26 15:08:00 | Sue Hammond |
| Re:Olly Fights Back | 17/04/26 15:47:00 | Ivonne Holliday |
| Re:Re:Olly Fights Back | 18/04/26 16:29:00 | John Hawkes |
| Re:Olly Fights Back | 17/04/26 16:02:00 | Steven Rose |
| Re:Re:Olly Fights Back | 17/04/26 16:55:00 | Michael Brigo |
| Re:Re:Re:Olly Fights Back | 17/04/26 17:06:00 | Robert Wheeler |
| Re:Re:Re:Re:Olly Fights Back | 17/04/26 18:47:00 | Michael Brigo |
| Re:Re:Re:Re:Olly Fights Back | 18/04/26 16:32:00 | John Hawkes |
| Reply | 18/04/26 19:01:00 | Michael Brigo |
| Reply | 17/04/26 17:29:00 | Sue Hammond |
| Re:Reply | 17/04/26 18:46:00 | Steven Rose |
| Re:Re:Reply | 17/04/26 18:51:00 | Michael Brigo |
| Reply | 17/04/26 21:44:00 | Michael Brigo |
| Reply | 18/04/26 11:53:00 | Michael Ixer |
| Re:Reply | 18/04/26 14:17:00 | Steven Rose |
| Re:Re:Reply | 18/04/26 16:58:00 | John Hawkes |
| Reply | 18/04/26 17:29:00 | Michael Ixer |
| Re:Reply | 18/04/26 19:58:00 | Steven Rose |
| Reply | 18/04/26 20:59:00 | Michael Ixer |
| Re:Reply | 18/04/26 21:13:00 | Robert Wheeler |
| Reply | 19/04/26 00:39:00 | Sue Hammond |
| Re:Reply | 19/04/26 10:00:00 | Jonathan Callaway |
| Re:Re:Reply | 19/04/26 10:31:00 | Steven Rose |
| Reply | 19/04/26 11:23:00 | Michael Ixer |
| Re:Reply | 19/04/26 11:46:00 | Alexander MacLeod |
| Re:Reply | 19/04/26 11:47:00 | Steven Rose |
| Re:Re:Reply | 19/04/26 12:33:00 | Robert Wheeler |
| Re:Reply | 19/04/26 12:46:00 | John Hawkes |
| Labour's new candidate to replace Starmer steps up with exciting progressive policy | 19/04/26 12:31:00 | John Hawkes |
| Re:Re:Reply | 19/04/26 13:17:00 | Ivonne Holliday |
| Reply | 19/04/26 13:27:00 | Michael Ixer |
| Re:Reply | 19/04/26 13:53:00 | John Hawkes |
| Reply | 19/04/26 17:22:00 | Michael Ixer |
| Re:Reply | 19/04/26 18:57:00 | Jonathan Callaway |
| Reply | 19/04/26 20:12:00 | Michael Ixer |
| Re:Reply | 19/04/26 20:03:00 | Steven Rose |
| Re:Re:Reply | 19/04/26 20:28:00 | Philippa Bond |
| Re:Re:Re:Reply | 20/04/26 10:15:00 | John Hawkes |
| Re:Re:Re:Re:Reply | 20/04/26 11:45:00 | Philippa Bond |
| Reply | 19/04/26 21:05:00 | Michael Ixer |
| Re:Reply | 19/04/26 21:17:00 | Steven Rose |
| Re:Reply | 19/04/26 21:26:00 | Steven Rose |
| Reply | 19/04/26 22:11:00 | Michael Ixer |
| Re:Reply | 20/04/26 10:29:00 | Philippa Bond |
| Reply | 20/04/26 09:23:00 | Richard Carter |
| Re:Reply | 20/04/26 10:22:00 | Steven Rose |
| Re:Reply | 20/04/26 10:46:00 | Ivonne Holliday |
| Re:Reply | 20/04/26 11:53:00 | John Hawkes |
| Re:Re:Reply | 20/04/26 18:38:00 | Sue Hammond |
| Re:Re:Re:Reply | 20/04/26 19:02:00 | Ivonne Holliday |
| Re:Re:Re:Re:Reply | 20/04/26 19:35:00 | Robert Wheeler |
| Re:Re:Re:Re:Re:Reply | 20/04/26 20:39:00 | Ivonne Holliday |
| Re:Re:Re:Re:Re:Re:Reply | 21/04/26 13:39:00 | John Hawkes |
| Reply | 20/04/26 20:03:00 | Sue Hammond |
| Re:Reply | 20/04/26 21:23:00 | Ivonne Holliday |
| Reply | 20/04/26 21:48:00 | Richard Carter |
| Re:Reply | 20/04/26 22:25:00 | Ivonne Holliday |
| Re:Re:Reply | 21/04/26 00:07:00 | Steven Rose |
| Reply | 20/04/26 22:37:00 | Michael Ixer |
| Re:Reply | 21/04/26 18:02:00 | Steven Rose |
| Re:Re:Reply | 21/04/26 18:29:00 | Robert Wheeler |
| Re:Re:Re:Reply | 21/04/26 19:31:00 | Steven Rose |
| Re:Re:Re:Re:Reply | 21/04/26 20:18:00 | Robert Wheeler |
| Reply | 21/04/26 23:29:00 | Michael Ixer |
| Re:Reply | 22/04/26 14:37:00 | John Hawkes |
| Reply | 22/04/26 15:04:00 | Michael Ixer |