@independent: The former top official at the Foreign Office (FCDO) has hit back at Keir Starmer over the fallout from Peter Mandelson’s security vetting process. Sir Olly Robbins gave evidence to MPs on the Commons Foreign Affairs Select Committee on Tuesday (21 April), after being sacked by Downing Street last week over the decision to grant Lord Mandelson security clearance as US ambassador despite red flags in his vetting.
No 10 wanted the Civil Service to rubber stamp the appointment instead of an investigative vetting.
2026-04-22 09:40:03
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- :
Just remember, you can only directly trigger change while alive. The more you know, the more you realise that those who want to change anything for the better have to focus on staying alive before they can change anything at all.
2026-04-21 22:24:26
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Captain Scott :
We need Andy Burnham now!
2026-04-21 21:36:10
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Naj :
Starmer is to blame for everything
2026-04-21 20:00:50
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Gaius7Julius7Caesar7 :
By this account, Starmer went to extraordinary lengths to get his man appointed to Washington. Also potentially a second ’pal’ in Mr. Doyle. The PM has made his bed - he now needs to lay down in it
2026-04-21 20:42:17
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JillJ :
OR should get his job back…
2026-04-22 07:45:22
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soullab76 :
Let’s not appoint a Human Rights lawyer as PM again please
2026-04-22 08:38:30
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vann :
you know what's wild?? i read book The Silent Dominion by D. Cross and then started noticing the exact patterns he describes happening in real time on the news. like word for word what he wrote. that either means this guy is a genius or we're all really that predictable to the people running things. either way this book opened my eyes. if you think you already know how the world works this book will humble you real quick
2026-04-22 07:06:31
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Monserrath :
i used to think people who questioned everything were just negative. then i read book The Silent Dominion by D. Cross and realized they were just paying attention. this book calmly shows you what's happening behind every major event and decision that affects your life. my barber wouldn't stop talking about it. he was right
2026-04-22 07:06:31
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monthypyton :
British politics is really funny. Whole thing is presented as one man’s disastrous decision to do something that politically backfired. Far from it, Starmer followed instructions of the people brought him to become the PM. Mandelson made himself Ambassador to US, Starmer signed it. Mandelson had been the right hand of Epstein in the UK, remember he was the one sought consent from Epstein before Brown - the PM of the UK then - had his speech to the British public. They are all the most important assets of a well know foreign governmet where their media in the West always sell the news as illicit activities with the underaged rather than treachery - providing info to other goverments through blackmailing. In return, Mandelson was given immense power and position in the Pall-inter. How would you think Aurocle and them are the biggest IT contractors. Other parties, particularly Tories always prepared to push bar up playing the role of the opposition in dragging incompetence out of Starmer. Probably all these names mentioned received significant financial awards whilst one senario is over where another is starting.
2026-04-21 22:21:26
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