The security services expressed concern about the appointment of Lord Mandelson as ambassador to Washington, but No 10 went ahead anyway, Sky News understands.
Downing Street today defended the extensive vetting process which senior civil servants go through in order to get jobs, raising questions about whether or not they missed something or No 10 ignored their advice.
Sky News has been told by two sources that the security services did flag concerns as part of the process.
No 10 did not judge these concerns as enough to stop the ambassadorial appointment.
It is not known whether all of the detail was shared with Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer personally.
Sky News has been told some members of the security services are unhappy with what has taken place in Downing Street.
Lord Mandelson is close to Sir Keir’s chief of staff, Morgan McSweeney, who is known to have been keen on the appointment – and the pair spoke regularly.
No 10 says the security vetting process is all done at a departmental level with no No 10 involvement.
Lord Mandelson was sacked as the UK’s ambassador to the US by Sir Keir earlier on Thursday over his ties to disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein.
The prime minister, who selected Lord Mandelson for the role, made the decision after new emails revealed the Labour peer sent messages of support to Epstein even as he faced jail for sex offences in 2008.
In one particular message, Lord Mandelson had suggested that Epstein’s first conviction was wrongful and should be challenged.
The Foreign Office said the emails showed “the depth and extent of Peter Mandelson’s relationship with Jeffrey Epstein is materially different from that known at the time of his appointment”.
The decision to sack the diplomat was made by the prime minister and Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper on Thursday morning, Sky News understands.
This was after Sir Keir had reviewed all the new available information last night.
It comes after a string of allegations…
