What did Morgan McSweeney and Philip Barton tell MPs about Mandelson’s vetting?

McSweeney and Barton both had concerns about Mandelson’s Epstein connections. Composite: Parliament TVView image in fullscreenMcSweeney and Barton both had concerns about Mandelson’s Epstein connections. Composite: Parliament TVMorgan McSweeneyWhat did Morgan McSweeney and Philip Barton tell MPs about Mandelson’s vetting?Key takeaways from appearance at select committee of PM’s former chief of staff and former Foreign Office chief UK politics live – latest updates Jessica Elgot Deputy political editorTue 28 Apr 2026 09.35 EDTLast modified on Tue 28 Apr 2026 10.03 EDTSharePrefer the Guardian on GoogleMorgan McSweeney, the prime minister’s former chief of staff, gave his first public appearance at a high-stakes hearing of the foreign affairs select committee to be grilled on the appointment – and vetting – of the disgraced US ambassador Peter Mandelson. He was preceded by the former Foreign Office chief Philip Barton, who oversaw the early formal process for Mandelson’s appointment. Here’s what we learned.1. Barton felt pressure to get Mandelson appointed before Trump’s inaugurationBarton said that there was “absolutely” pressure on the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) to get Mandelson to Washington as quickly as possible, though he drew the same distinction as the prime minister that there was a difference between pressure to grant vetting and pressure to do the process quickly.He said that No 10 was “uninterested” in the vetting process, and the inquiries were about the pace at which he could arrive in Washington, ideally before the inauguration.McSweeney said – in line with evidence given by Olly Robbins – that he never personally inquired about the progress of the vetting with the FCDO. “What I did not do was oversee national security vetting, ask officials to ignore procedures, request that steps should be skipped, or communicate, explicitly or implicitly, the checks should be cleared at all costs. I would never have considered that acceptable,” he told the committee.But he did say that the public expected government decisions to be delivered quickly by civil servants. “There’s pressure in government every day, and most of that pressure comes from within,” he said. “No 10’s job in all of this is to make sure that the prime minister’s decisions are acted on quickly.”2. McSweeney confirms he advised the prime minister to appoint Mandelson2:03Morgan McSweeney admits ‘serious error of judgment’ over Mandelson appointment – videoThe first person to propose Mandelson as ambassador was Mandelson himself, McSweeney claimed.McSweeney said that appointing him “was a serious error of judgment … I advised the prime minister in support of that appointment and I was wrong to do so.”He insisted his relationship with Mandelson had been deeply misrepresented – the two had barely met until 2017 and that Mandelson was uninterested in Labour Together, which was at that stage McSweeney’s project to persuade centrist MPs to stay in Labour and wait to retake the party from Jeremy Corbyn’s allies.He said he saw him later as a “confidante” on matters of political strategy – but that he was not involved in candidate vetting or reshuffles, though he admitted Mandelson had offered advice on those.But he said he believed that their priority at the time was to appoint someone who could secure a trade deal with the US – and that Mandelson’s trade experience made him the right candidate. “This was not some hero I was trying to get a job for,” he…

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