Security Vetting

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon Excerpts

Monday 20th April 2026 Lords Chamber

[Baroness Smith of Basildon (Lab)]

I am grateful to my noble friend and his committee for their work on this. He underlines our concerns; the humble Address was very clear that all information should be provided. In terms of information that is missing or was not available at the time—the noble Lord, Lord Purvis, made this point, and I apologise for not answering it before—the Prime Minister has made an absolute commitment that all available information should be made public under the humble Address. National security information will be referred to the committee and anything that the police consider could be essential for a prosecution, and, if disclosed, would damage a potential one, may be delayed. The Foreign Office has gone back to the FCDO and is very keen to get all available information. It may be that some documents that were not available in the first tranche should be available in the second tranche or later. I think it is clear to everybody—the Prime Minister was extremely clear on this today—that all information should be available and the humble Address should be complied with in full.

[Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon (Con)]

My Lords, I am sure the noble Baroness will join me in paying tribute to our many diplomats around the world who do a sterling job in representing our country. I have a very simple question. She talked about the judgment of the then permanent under-secretary at the Foreign Office, Sir Olly Robbins. Surely there was an onus on the Prime Minister not just to listen but to ask. Why did he not?

[Baroness Smith of Basildon (Lab)]

I agree that our diplomats around the world do an amazing job in difficult circumstances. Anyone who has had to contact our embassies at a time of trouble or difficulty abroad will know how professional and excellent they are. The noble Lord is right that this all comes down to judgment. The Prime Minister has apologised for his judgment in making the appointment, but others must stand by the judgments they made, be questioned on them and account for them. That is what is happening as we get more information. Those of us sitting on this side of the House trust the Prime Minister’s judgment. It takes a big character to stand up and say sorry when they have made a mistake. That does not always happen. It has not always happened in the past. On the big judgments, we look at the international situation, where the Prime Minister refused just to follow in the wake of President Trump and acted in the national interest. That shows true judgment. That is why we on this side of the House trust the Prime Minister’s judgment.