Ex-Foreign Office chief breaks silence on Lord Mandelson scandal as pressure mounts on Keir Starmer

George Bunn
Tue, 28 Apr 2026 04:59:16 +0000

The former chief civil servant in the Foreign Office has broken his silence on the botched appointment of Peter Mandelson as Britain's ambassador to the United States, as pressure continues to rise on the Prime Minister.

Sir Philip Barton told the Foreign Affairs Committee suggestions Lord Mandelson would not need to be vetted before he took the top job in Washington were "odd and insufficient".

He also said the search to find a new US ambassador started while the Conservatives were in office. And while a potential candidate was identified, the process was put on hold when the general election was called by Rishi Sunak in 2024.

Sir Phillip, who left his post in January 2025 with eight months still left on his contract, said Downing Street was "uninterested" in vetting Lord Mandelson.

He said: "I wouldn’t use the word dismissive, the word I would use is uninterested. I think people wanted to know that all the practical steps required for Mandelson to arrive in Washington by or around inauguration date needed to be completed, you know, at pace as it were. And that was the interest."

FOLLOW BELOW FOR LIVE UPDATES THROUGHOUT THE DAY...

Morgan McSweeney says timing of appointment of Peter Mandelson was not 'part of a strategy'

Morgan McSweeney has denied the timing of Lord Peter Mandelson's appointment was "part of a strategy".

The former Chief of Staff said: "When I came in, we had big challenges in Downing Street. We had to reset.

"Most of my time was immersed in the budget."

Lord Mandelson was not involved in reshuffle or choosing 2024 candidates, suggests Morgan McSweeney

Morgan McSweeney has suggested Lord Peter Mandelson was not involved in choosing Labour candidates for the 2024 General Election or in the cabinet reshuffle following the resignation of Angela Rayner.

The former Chief of Staff said: "The reshuffle was extremely challenging because it was a bad day for our party, for the Government.

"We had just lost the deputy Prime Minister and we needed to reorganise the Government at pace and the Prime Minister wanted to go ahead and do that.

"He texted me his thoughts... I did not respond to any of Mandelson’s texts. The text messages set out ideas of people that he thought should be in particular positions. None of his suggestions actually came out to be the case so his ideas were not followed up.

"Mandelson had nothing to do with the selection or vetting of any of our parliamentary candidates. I was in a senior role in the party at the time. We did everything on the books."

Morgan McSweeney denies Lord Mandelson was his 'mentor'

Morgan McSweeney has denied that Lord Peter Mandelson was his "mentor".

The former Downing Street Chief of Staff told the Foreign Affairs Committee: "I first had a conversation with Peter Mandelson in 2017.

"I don’t think I really started to go to him for advice until 2021 and I was 44... I didn’t regard him at all as a mentor. I got advice from him and he was useful. But I also had other people around who were perhaps a bit more shy with the media."

When asked about previous reports "Morgan wouldn't breathe without consulting Peter Mandelson first", he responded saying: "You'll forgive me if I don't believe everything that's written about me in the papers."

Lord Mandelson would not have been appointed if Kamala Harris had won election, claims ​Morgan McSweeney

The former Chief of Staff has said Lord Peter Mandelson would not have been appointed as US Ambassador if Democrat candidate Kamala Harris had won the Presidential election.

Morgan McSweeney said: "I don't recall there being much discussion about the appointment ahead of the US Presidential election.

"If Kamala Harris had won the US Election, I don't think Peter Mandelson would have been appointed."

Morgan McSweeney issues statement to victims of Jeffrey Epstein

Morgan McSweeney has issued a statement addressing the victims and survivors of Jeffrey Epstein.

The former Chief of Staff said: "Too often discussions of public figures and appointments can lose sight of the human suffering at the centre of these matters. Women and girls were abused, exploited and scarred. They deserved protection then and they deserve to be remembered now.

"I am sorry for any part this controversy has played in causing further hurt or distress.

"I have spent much of my working life trying in whatever role I held to make this country fairer, stronger and more successful. I have always believed public service is a privilege.

"It brings responsibility and scrutiny, but also brings a meaningful chance to improve people’s lives. That is what motivated me in government."

Morgan McSweeney made a 'serious error of judgement' in advising Lord Mandelson appointment

Morgan McSweeney is up to give evidence at the Foreign Affairs Committee.

The former Chief of Staff said he made a "serious error of judgement" in advising the Prime Minister in the appointment of Lord Peter Mandelson to US Ambassador.

James Cleverly calls on Keir Starmer must resign

Sir James Cleverly has said Keir Starmer must resign after he "misled the house".

The former Home Secretary said: "Starmer has said, on multiple occasions, that the normal, full due process was followed in the Mandelson appointment.

"We now have numerous examples of this not being true. Starmer misled the house, there can be no doubt about that. By his own words that’s a resigning issue."

Morgan McSweeney to give evidence shortly

That concludes Sir Philip Barton's appearance in front of the Foreign Affairs Committee this morning.

We're expecting former Chief of Staff Morgan McSweeney to give his evidence just after 11am.

Philip Barton says he won't be drawn if the right process was followed in the sacking of Olly Robbins

Former chief civil servant Sir Philip Barton said he won't comment about the process followed when Sir Olly Robbins was sacked.

When asked if the right process followed in the sacking of Olly Robbins, he said: "I don’t think I can answer that question. And it may become a matter of formal legal dispute.

"When I was permanent undersecretary, there were a number of very serious disciplinary cases during my time leading to dismissal and they all involved some process."

He added that only Sir Keir Starmer knows fully what happened.

Philip Barton declines to say if 'due process' was followed in Lord Mandelson's appointment

Sir Philip Barton has declined to be drawn into the debate about whether or not "due process" was followed in the appointment of Lord Mandelson.

Appearing before the foreign affairs committee, the former chief civil servant in the Foreign Office was asked: "Do you think that the Prime Minister’s statement that full due process was followed is a fair description of what happened in Mandelson’s case?"

He responded: "I’m gonna dodge. I’m really sorry...It’s not for me, it’s for others including all of you as Members of Parliament to come to a view on that."

David Lammy was going to 'flag concerns' about Lord Mandelson appointment, claims Philip Barton

David Lammy promised the chief Foreign Office civil servant he would flag concerns with Downing Street about the appointment of Lord Mandelson to US Ambassador.

Referring to a conversation in December 2024 Sir Philip Barton said: "I was asked what the Foreign Secretary said when I told him. He did not say 'Philip, please crack on, write to the King'. He actually said: 'I’m going to talk to No10.'"

When asked if there were subsequent conversations with Mr Lammy, he said: "As I recall he and I had a brief conversation, I can’t remember whether it was Dec 17 or Dec 18, so the Tuesday or the Wednesday.

"It was inconclusive, so he wasn’t at that point saying he was content for me to proceed. I think [Mr Lammy] should speak for himself on his views and what was said, as it were.

"I at that point was doing my best to resolve the situation, establish what I was being asked to do by the top of the Government, and then take the bureaucratic steps necessary either way."

Kemi Badenoch says 'this is no longer just about Peter Mandelson'

Kemi Badenoch has said "this is no longer just about Peter Mandelson" as she took aim at the Prime Minister.

The Conservative leader said: "It is about whether the Prime Minister tells the truth when Parliament asks, whether he takes responsibility for his own decisions, and whether standards in public life still mean anything at all.

"The country is watching."

Philip Barton says Downing Street sometimes told him not to share information with Foreign Secretary

Former chief civil servant in the Foreign Office Sir Philip Barton said Downing Street would sometimes tell him to withhold information from the Foreign Secretary.

He said: "It is not unheard of for permanent secretaries, in a sense, to try and work in a way which allows there to be a decision, and a consensus view.

"The Government can then move in and take it forward. And in that sort of situation, it’s not unheard of for a permanent secretary to be privy to something that they don’t pass on to or ask not to rather pass on to their secretary of state. So I describe as not unheard of.

"But I don’t want to give the impression that this is going to a standard operating procedure."

Chair Emily Thornberry said: "It is absolutely extraordinary. So the permanent secretary at the Foreign Office can be told ‘don’t told your boss about this’ when they are the Foreign Secretary? Honestly, has that ever happened to you before, before this?”

Sir Philip responded: "Yes, it has."

Philip Barton says there was no contingency plan in place if Lord Mandelson failed security vetting

Sir Philip Barton said there was no "contingency plan" for if Lord Mandelson had not been given security clearance.

The former chief civil servant in the Foreign Office said: "It's not an impossibility [for Mandelson to have failed vetting].

"But it would have been a crisis if we got to the point where he had no vetting clearance.

"That would have been a crisis, self-evidently, a publicly announced political appointment as the next ambassador to Washington, not being able to go. That would have been a big problem."

When asked by Committee Chair Dame Emily Thornberry if there a contingency plan for what would happen if Mandelson did not have his security vetting approved, Sir Philip replied "No."

Philip Barton says he would have raised concerns about Lord Mandelson's links to Epstein

Former chief civil servant in the Foreign Office Sir Philip Barton said he would have raised concerns about Lord Peter Mandelson's links to Jeffrey Epstein.

He told the Committee: "Epstein, through both the presidential election campaign in the US and more generally in US politics, was a controversial figure.

"I was worried that [Mandelson’s links to Epstein] could become a problem in future, not because I was expecting that we were going to find out more, because to be honest I wasn’t.

"I just thought that it was a potentially difficult issue politically in the United States."

Downing Street 'put pressure' on Foreign Office over Lord Mandelson appointment

Downing Street "put pressure" on the Foreign Office "by a particular timescale", according to the department's former chief civil servant.

Sir Philip Barton told the Committee: "I didn’t receive letters from the principal private secretary to the Prime Minister very often, most of my dealings was with the Foreign Affairs team in No10 as you’d expect...

"That in effect is the top of the Government saying the Prime Minister has decided he wants Mandelson as ambassador and he wants it done in that timescale.

"So that is what creates the pressure, there were conversations around progress.

"But I think no one in the FCDO working on this could have been in any doubt of the urgency of the issue and the importance that No 10 and the Prime Minister attached to Mandelson being in DC in very short order."

Philip Barton denies claims Morgan McSweeney told him to 'just f******g approve' Lord Mandelson's security clearance

Sir Philip Barton has denied claims former Chief of Staff Morgan McSweeney told him to "just f******g approve" Mandelson's security clearance.

The former top Foreign Office civil servant told the Committee: "I cannot recall Morgan McSweeney swearing in a meeting at me or in general."

Philip Barton claims there was 'no space' for dialogue over Lord Mandelson appointment

Sir Philip Barton has claimed there was "no space" for dialogue over the appointment of Peter Mandelson, as he was told to "get on with it."

He said: "Hindsight is a fantastically wonderful thing and it is all hypothetical.

"It is worth repeating, at no point did anybody consult me, I was presented with a decision and told to 'get on with it'. There was no space for dialogue."

However, he was quick to clarify the appointment did not play a part in him leaving his post.

He said: "I announced to the department I was leaving on November 4 2024, and I [didn't] know anything about Mandelson until the middle of December.

"So the answer is straightforwardly no [it didn't play a part]."

Philip Barton says he 'should have been involved' in appointment of Lord Mandelson

Sir Phillip Barton said he "should have been involved" in the appointment of Peter Mandelson as US Ambassador.

He told the Foreign Affairs Committee: "I think on the face of it, it is reasonable for the head of the Foreign Office to be involved in thinking around what is our major top bilateral ambassador post.

"On the other hand, given clearly the Prime Minister was deciding to make a political appointment, I think it is also reasonable that civil servants would not be directly involved in discussions around what is a political appointment because that is a matter for elected politicians.

"Clearly, I think, ideally you want to have a situation where there is a tight and small circle of people who can be consulted on a big decision like this on the basis of trust. But I can also see that in the end it would have been a political matter."

Philip Barton says it 'wasn't my choice' to leave role as chief civil servant in the Foreign Office

Former top Foreign Office civil servant Sir Phillip Barton has claimed it "wasn't my choice to leave" the role in the department.

Sir Phillip Barton left his post in January 2025, with eight months still left on his contract.

He said: "It wasn't it wasn't my choice to leave at that point, and I would have preferred to see out my tenure."

Sir Phillip claimed then-Foreign Secretary David Lammy wanted someone new in the role to lead the department in a "major transformation programme".

However, he was quick to add it's "not unusual" for the top civil servant in a department to leave their post in the months after a change of party in Government.

Philip Barton says process had begun to find new US Ambassador while Tories were in office

Former top Foreign Office mandarin Sir Philip Barton said the search to find a new US Ambassador started while the Tories were in office.

While he said a potential candidate was identified, the process was put on hold when the election was called by Rishi Sunak.

Philip Barton up to answer questions

Former top Foreign Office mandarin Sir Philip Barton is currently being grilled about Lord Peter Mandelson’s vetting for the role of US Ambassador.

Sir Philip was the chief civil servant in the department at the time Mandelson was announced as US Ambassador.

However he left his post shortly after, with claims he wasn't happy with the appointment, only to be replaced by Sir Olly Robbins, who was sacked by the PM last week.

Keir Starmer says he is 'still friends' with Morgan McSweeney

Sir Keir Starmer has said he is "still friends" with his former chief of staff Morgan McSweeney.

Mr McSweeney is set to give evidence to the Foreign Affairs Select Committee this morning at 11am.

The Prime Minister told Sky News: "I've known Morgan for a very long time. We worked together in changing the Labour Party and picking it up after a terrible election in 2019, and we've worked together on the next general election."

"I talk to him from time to time, and I think it was two or three weeks ago that we last got together to talk about a number of things."

When asked about the stories Mr McSweeney called the then head of the Foreign Office Sir Philip Barton and told him to "just f******g approve" Mandelson's security clearance, Sir Keir said: "That isn't Morgan McSweeney. That isn't the way he operates.

"I've known Morgan for a very long time, and I'm sure he'll give his evidence tomorrow. I have no doubt about that."

Bridget Phillipson claims there was 'no pressure' to approve Peter Mandelson appointment

Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson has claimed there was no "undue pressure" on the Foreign Office to appoint Peter Mandelson as UK ambassador to the US.

She told Sky News: "Was there chasing the outcome of the decision? Yes, I'm sure there was. That's what happens every day in Government.

"[Was] there undue pressure exerted to influence the outcome, or was there undue pressure exerted in order to either not have vetting at all or to override the vetting decision? No, that was categorically not the case."

She added the "fundamental problem" is that the vetting decision "was not communicated to the Prime Minister".

This goes against what Sir Olly Robbins told MPs last week, as the former Foreign Office boss claimed there was an "atmosphere of pressure" over the appointment.

Senior Tory MP says Labour has 'something to hide'

A senior Conservative MP has suggested Labour has "something to hide" ahead of today's crunch vote.

Shadow Duchy of Lancaster Alex Burghart told GB News: "We in the Conservatives have been leading on this but we're working with all the opposition parties as well.

"It is very obvious what has happened here. The Prime Minister lied to parliament and then refused to admit he had done anything wrong.

"We are staring this formal process here, the vote today is if this will be formally investigated by a cross party group of MPs. The fact Labour doesn't want that to go ahead makes it very clear they have something to hide."

Keir Starmer to lead talks on economic fallout of Iran war

Sir Keir Starmer will lead talks on the economic fallout of the Iran crisis amid renewed calls from dozens of nations to reopen the Strait of Hormuz.

The Prime Minister will convene the meeting of the Middle East Response Committee with ministers and representatives from the Bank of England on Tuesday to discuss the ongoing economic impact of the war.

Ministers are expected to gather in one of the Cabinet Office briefing rooms. The Government previously warned that the economic impact could last for eight months after the war’s end.

The meeting comes amid international calls at the United Nations on Monday to reopen the critical shipping lane.

Foreign Office minister Stephen Doughty told the UN Security Council that US President Donald Trump and Sir Keir had this week "discussed the urgent need to get shipping moving again".

Bridget Phillipson 'open minded' about social media restrictions

Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson said she was "open minded" about the extent of the restrictions that will be imposed on children’s use of social media.

But she said whatever was put in place has to "stand the test of time".

She told Times Radio: "It’s not a question of whether we take further action to protect young people, it’s the shape of that action, what that looks like.

"There are a range of views, sincerely held, from campaigners, from families, who have different views as to how we can seek to get this right."

Elsewhere... Labour MPs urge Keir Starmer to deliver Hillsborough law in full

Labour MPs have warned "buck stops with the Prime Minister" to deliver Hillsborough law in full and stop the delays.

It came as the House of Commons supported a carry-over motion on Monday, meaning the Public Office (Accountability) Bill can continue to progress in the next parliamentary session.

Sir Keir Starmer had promised to deliver the draft law by April 15 last year, to mark the 36th anniversary of the disaster, however, progress was stalled following concerns over changes which could see the proposed duty of candour disapplied to intelligence agencies.

Justice minister Alex Davies-Jones said the Government remains "resolutely committed to delivering this vital piece of legislation" and pledged to bring it back to the chamber "as soon as possible".

Labour’s Ian Byrne, who was at Hillsborough when 97 Liverpool football fans were killed, said the delays cause "profound distress" and responsibility for them "rests solely with the Government".

The MP for Liverpool West Derby said: "I welcome the Government tabling this carry-over motion for the Hillsborough law, but in truth, it should never have come to this."

Before the vote... Morgan McSweeney and ex-Foreign Office chief Philip Barton to face double committee grilling

Morgan McSweeney and former Foreign Office chief Philip Barton are both set to face the Foreign Affairs Select Committee today ahead of the sleaze vote.

Mr McSweeney, Sir Keir Starmer's one-time right-hand-man, has already admitted to taking "full responsibility" for advising the PM to give Lord Mandelson the ambassador job.

He is likely to face questions today over whether due process was followed, including whether he pressured the Foreign Office to place Lord Mandelson in the role.

The former No10 chief-of-staff may also be grilled on exactly who in Downing Street had pushed for the Labour grandee to be sent to Washington DC without any vetting - as well as the "theft" of his phone shortly after Lord Mandelson was sacked.

Philip Barton, Sir Olly Robbins's predecessor at the head of the Foreign Office, will doubtless be asked whether Mr McSweeney told him to "just f***ing approve" the appointment, as alleged in the committee last week.

Reform UK's Zia Yusuf joins PM pile-on with promise to 'carpet bomb' Labour seats

Reform UK's home affairs spokesman Zia Yusuf offered his own scathing take-down of the Prime Minsister last night, threatening to "carpet bomb" his party's seats depending on how Labour MPs vote.

"Friendly note to Labour MPs ahead of the vote tomorrow to decide if Starmer should face an ethics probe," Mr Yusuf said.

"If you vote against it, Reform will carpet bomb your constituency to ensure all your constituents know you voted to save the most unpopular PM of all time."

READ IN FULL: No10's defence line ahead of sleaze vote this afternoon

"The Government is engaging with the two parliamentary processes that are already running on Peter Mandelson's appointment with full transparency," a No10 spokesman said last night.

"This is a desperate political stunt by the Conservative Party the week before the May elections.

"Their claims have no substance."

Three Labour MPs give their verdict on whether Keir Starmer will survive sleaze vote

Three Labour MPs came out of the woodwork to offer their verdict on whether the PM might survive this afternoon's sleaze vote last night.

The first, billed as a likely rebel, told The Telegraph they were "not sure many people will want to vote with the Tories" but there was "not much appetite to defend the indefensible".

The second said they would not be surprised if "a lot of the new intake abstain", adding: "They've been marched up the hill so many times on things to be marched back down again. What if they end up holding an inquiry anyway?"

The third, a senior Labour MP, admitted: "Labour MPs aren't going to vote for chaos in the week leading up to a local election. We will save the chaos for the week after."

RECAP: MPs push Troubles Bill through Parliament despite major fears for British troops

Also yesterday evening, MPs voted to push the controversial Troubles Bill through Parliament in the face of fears for the immunity of Northern Ireland veterans.

The Bill will continue to progress in the next parliamentary session, after MPs voted 279 to 176, majority 103, in support of a carry-over motion late on Monday night.

Troubles veterans had been handed protections under the previous Tory Government's Legacy Act.

But that was rapidly scrapped by Sir Keir Starmer - with Labour claiming the Act was "incompatible" with the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR).

On Sunday night, Tory leader Kemi Badenoch confirmed her MPs would be voting against the carry-over motion - and they did, alongside Reform UK and the Liberal Democrats.

But 279 Labour, Green and Northern Irish SDLP and Alliance MPs were enough to send it through...

READ THE FULL STORY HERE

RECAP: Labour admits it will force internet restrictions on Britons - regardless of what consultation says

In the first of two major developments from the Commons last night, a Labour minister admitted the Government would move to force internet restrictions on young Britons, regardless of the outcome of a consultation on a social media ban.

Education Minister Olivia Bailey revealed the Government "will impose some form of age or functionality restrictions" on social media for under-16s whatever the consultation says.

The concession by the Government comes after relentless pressure from the House of Lords over the issue, led by Tory Education Minister and academy chain founder Lord Nash.

Peers voted four times to press the Commons into forcing a ban onto the British people...