Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 20 January 2025 to Question 23476 on USA: Diplomatic Service, if he will instruct Lord Mandelson to recuse himself from discussions on matters relating to Global Counsel's (a) EU and (b) China (i) clients and (ii) operations.

As in the answer of 20 January, there is a robust and established process in place for the management of interests held by all Senior Civil Servants. This process is designed to identify and, where necessary, mitigate any potential or perceived conflicts of interest. This process applies in the normal way to Lord Mandelson's appointment. It is improper to discuss the specifics of any individual case.