Mandelson appointment 'worth the risk', says Kyle

A senior cabinet minister has admitted that “political considerations” about Peter Mandelson’s “outstanding singular talents” meant security concerns about the Labour peer being made ambassador to the US were ignored.

- DAVID MADDOX POLITICAL EDITOR

Business secretary Peter Kyle repeated the claim on Sky News and BBC on Sunday morning that “new information” coming to light over Lord Mandelson's relationship with the convicted paedophile Jeffrey Epstein led to his sacking on Friday.

Last week The Independent revealed that Sir Keir pushed through his appointment earlier this year despite failing security vetting by MI6. Mr Kyle refused to say if the prime minister spoke to Lord Mandelson directly to let him know he was sacked, nor whether the appointment had been a mistake in the first place.

Mr Kyle told Sunday Morning With Trevor Phillips on Sky News it was not correct that Lord Mandelson was appointed ambassador to the US before security checks were completed.

He said: “The Cabinet Office did an independent inquiry into the appointment, as they do in every public appointment of this nature, and the information... was presented to the prime minister.”

But he admitted that political considerations trumped security concerns about Lord Mandelson, which included not only his relationship with Epstein but also his links to China. In January,