‘Pure shock’: how ministers reacted to revelation of Mandelson vetting failure

Despite his reputation, the Foreign Office and Starmer may have thought Mandelson’s vetting process would be straightforward. It was anything but. Illustration: Guardian Design/Getty

When the Guardian revealed that Peter Mandelson had failed his vetting checks before being appointed as British ambassador to Washington, members of Keir Starmer’s cabinet, who were scattered around the world on government business, were caught by the same element of surprise.

In Washington for the spring meeting of the International Monetary Fund, the chancellor, Rachel Reeves, had just come out of a meeting with the Ukrainian finance minister when she was told the breaking news.