Apsana Begum
Main Page: Apsana Begum (Labour - Poplar and Limehouse)Department Debates - View all Apsana Begum's debates with the Cabinet Office
(1 day, 10 hours ago)
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The Prime Minister
I am addressing the question about the process in relation to Peter Mandelson. I have set that out in some detail to the House and answered a number of questions.
Apsana Begum (Poplar and Limehouse) (Lab)
In December 2024, the Prime Minister said in announcing Peter Mandelson as US ambassador that he had “unrivalled experience”. That was despite the gravity of what was known about Peter Mandelson’s record and available publicly. Is it not the case that Peter Mandelson’s political appointment, which was personally decided by the Prime Minister and announced in public before the security vetting was completed, needed to progress and had to happen—however it happened—because of Mandelson’s role in the Prime Minister’s own leadership campaign and because it served the interests of one particular faction in the Labour party?
The Prime Minister
I do not accept that that is a reason for withholding from me the information about security clearance.