Senior official removed over Mandelson security dispute to face MPs13 mins agoAdam GoldsmithReutersThe Chief Foreign Office Official who was fired after it was revealed that Peter Mandelson received a security clearance in spite of concerns raised during the vetting procedure is expected to be grilled on Tuesday by the Foreign Affairs Committee. It will also be Sir Olly Robbins, the senior official who was fired over the Mandelson security row, will face MPs on Tuesday. On Friday, he called the decision to not inform him earlier “staggering”, and added: “That I was not told that he failed security vetting while I was telling Parliament due process had been adhered to is unforgivable.” “PA MediaMandelson’s appointment as US ambassador was announced by the government in December 2024. The developed vetting process began the same day. He officially took up the position in February 2025 before being removed in September last year when more details about his ties to convicted sex offenders Jeffrey Epstein were revealed Sir Olly was the most senior civil service member at the Foreign Office when Mandelson was selected for the Washington role. Dame Emily Thornberry requested that Sir Olly appear before the Foreign Affairs Committee, which she chairs, to answer questions. They also cast doubt whether Sir Olly had ever seen the recommendation to the Foreign Office to not approve Lord Mandelson’s vetting. Allies said that it was unlikely that he had been given the entire report and he may have only seen more specific risks during the process. The Cabinet Office oversees a government agency that carries out vetting of government employees. This agency then makes recommendations to the hiring departments. Chris Mason: Mandelson nightmare haunts Starmer once againWhat we know about Mandelson’s vetting & security clearanceKeir Starmer

At a press conference at Westminster, she said that Sir Keir was “unable to hope” to lead the country because of his “incompetence”. She accused him of being “so She said that she did not have enough Conservative MPs to win a no-confidence vote. “The people who are able to do that, and make this happen, are Labour MPs. “Key questions facing the government over Mandelson vettingWhat’s the Developed Vetting Security Clearance at the centre of Mandelson Row?Chris Mason : Mandelson nightmare is haunt The fact that I was not informed that he failed security vetting at the time he was appointed is unforgivable. “I’m furious that not only was I unaware, but no minister was informed. “I intend to go to the Parliament on Monday and present all the facts in full transparency so that Parliament has the complete picture. He added: “Number 10, who was appointed by the Cabinet Office, was not informed that he failed security vetting. That is unacceptable.” “Senior minister Darren Jones earlier said Sir Keir had not misled MPs when he said due process had been followed, and therefore would not be resigning.Jones told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme, there was no obligation in the rules for ministers to be told about security vetting decisions when Lord Mandelson was appointed, something he said he had now changed.BBC News understands the United Kingdom Security Vetting service gave the Foreign Office an explicit recommendation not to approve Lord Mandelson’s vetting.It’s understood that UKSV, which carried out the work on behalf of the Cabinet Office, presented the Foreign Office with a list of potential risks as well as a recommendation summing up those risks.That recommendation can fall into one of three categories, described by sources as “yes”, “yes with caveats” and “no”.Sources say the recommendation given to the Foreign Office by the vetting services was a “no”.The Foreign Office is believed to be the only government department in Whitehall with the authority to overrule such a recommendation.Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey said the PM’s explanation “just doesn’t stack up,” adding: “I am afraid he is going to have to go. “Sir Ed called for an investigation into whether Sir Keir deliberately misled Parliament by the Privileges committee, which was used to hold Boris Johnson accountable over the Partygate scandal. “Or, as a civil servant was he receiving direction from someone else, and if so by whom?” The Mandelson scandal was a tipping point in my opinion. I do not regret it. I stated my position. I stand by it. I don’t retreat from it. I believe Lord Mandel It will be delivered to your inbox each weekday. Keir StarmerNational Security

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AI minister Kendall says that she doesn’t use AI for work. 13 hours agoMatt ChorleyPresenter, BBC Radio 5 Live and NewsnightBBCLiz Kendall, cabinet minister responsible for Artificial Intelligence, has revealed that she does not use AI to do her job. She spoke to me in a driverless car powered by AI, in an interview with BBC Radio 5 Live and Newsnight, Kendall stated she only uses AI technology in her personal life, such as after an allergic reaction to a face cream. He said that no one should waste time on things AI can do faster and better. However, his cabinet colleagues were less enthusiastic. Kendall said, “I use AI more for my personal life than at work. I have to be honest.” “I’m more likely to use AI in my personal life.” “Government officials were expected to use the technology. Kendall said that while she was working at the Department for Work and Pensions staff were using AI in job centres to rewrite CVs for people seeking employment. It could also be used summarise answers to government consultations. The New Statesman reported recently that “British law is already being written by AI”, but claimed that it had been decided to not make the use of AI public. “Explaining her recent use of AI, the Labour MP asked: “Do you wanna know the last thing that I used it for ?… I can’t even believe I’m going to say this… I had an allergic reaction. I put on a probably expensive and pointless potion that I had to pay for. “I had AI go through all the ingredients in the products. There are so many products, I asked AI to look at the ingredients to see if there was one common ingredient. They also suggested a cream that would help me stop the eczema. “I checked sources and it came from the National Eczema Society. I went to the pharmacy, I asked for her best cream. She named the same one. I bought it, and it worked. The government’s Sovereign AI Unit is a venture-capital fund that will invest in British AI firms, backed with PS500m public funding. The UK firm Wayve’s driverless car demo was intended to highlight the potential that the minister sees with AI-powered technology. However, there are concerns about the impact of the tech on jobs. In London alone, 123,000 people held taxi or private hire vehicle licenses last year. There were 381,000 in England. Driverless cars could threaten their jobs. Kendall said: “I believe we’ve got level with people and tell them that jobs will be created. Jobs will change. Some jobs will go. But new ones will replace them.” “I can understand why people worry about the impact of driverless cars on jobs. We are offering free AI skills to 10 million people who work in the workforce. That’s our goal. We think this is really important for the upcoming future. “But I think it’s likely to be a mixture, isn’t that right? People will still want drive. “Some people have expressed concerns about the dangers posed by AI. YouGov’s poll from last year revealed that 75% of Britons were concerned that AI could pose a danger to humanity. Kendall was asked if she was concerned about the technology. She replied: “No. I don’t think it is dangerous.” We must consider the implications of this for jobs. She added: “I am not an engineer or computer scientist, but I am a history professor and you can see in previous industrial and technology revolutions that this type of transition has led to some jobs being lost and others created. “The question that I am most interested in is: What is the role of government? “Our belief is that we shouldn’t leave people to deal with this inevitable job transition on their own. We need to upskill our nation. We need to upskill the nation.