Mandelson vetting warned of ties to key figures in China and Russia

Peter Mandelson’s associations with senior figures in China, Russia and Israel were among concerns raised by the UK’s vetting agency when it concluded he should be denied clearance, sources have told the Guardian.

- Paul Lewis, Henry Dyer, Pippa Crerar

Mandelson’s links to the Chinese minister of finance, Lan Fo’an, the sanctions-hit Russian oligarch Oleg Deripaska, and a former Israeli military intelligence general, Tamir Hayman, were all flagged by United Kingdom Security Vetting as areas of concern shortly before he took up his post as the UK’s ambassador to the US, the sources said.

They added that UKSV had also noted that Mandelson had a very close relationship with a fourth individual, who is British, that could be compromising.

Another concern identified by the vetting agency, the sources said, was a £1m loan Mandelson had received to invest in an Israeli startup. UKSV noted separately, the sources added, that he appeared naive about the risk of historical relationships with other individuals being exploited.

These concerns were all contained in a nine-page UKSV summary of Mandelson’s vetting file in January 2025, according to the sources, all of whom spoke to the Guardian on condition of anonymity.

They said these issues contributed to the agency’s conclusion that Mandelson posed a “high” overall concern and its recommendation to the Foreign Office that his developed vetting clearance should be denied.

After being briefed on the contents of the UKSV summary file, the then Foreign Office permanent secretary, Olly Robbins, granted Mandelson security clearance anyway.

Emily Thornberry, the Labour chair of the foreign affairs select committee, said the disclosures had made her “very angry”. She added: “It becomes quite clear why UKSV saw [Mandelson] as a subject of concern who shouldn’t be granted clearance.”

Ed Davey, the leader of the Liberal Democrats, said that responsibility for hiring Mandelson despite the concerns lay with the prime minister, Keir Starmer, saying that “glaring warning signs were wilfully ignored”.