Sturmer ignored his advisers' recommendations regarding Mendelson's appointment — Politico
According to media reports, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer ignored the recommendations of two officials who had suggested postponing Peter Mandelson’s appointment.
They argued that it was necessary to complete a vetting process before confirming him as ambassador to the United States.
Politico reports on this.
As noted, Starmer’s chief private secretary and a foreign policy official jointly prepared a memo in November 2024 in which they advised the prime minister to wait until Mendelson received clearance for classified information before announcing his appointment to this top diplomatic post.
However, it is unknown whether Starmer even read this advice, as no response was recorded.
The joint memo from Ailsa Terry, Starmer’s personal secretary for foreign affairs, and Nina Pandit, his chief of staff, is dated November 11, 2024.
“Regarding the timing of the appointment and announcement, you should consider whether the announcement should be made immediately upon receiving the relevant clearances and approvals, as well as whether the ambassador will assume duties before or after the inauguration,” the memo states.
They proposed two options: first, to announce the appointment as soon as the U.S. government approves the UK’s choice for ambassador. The other option they propose is to postpone the announcement of the new ambassador until “possibly after Trump takes office.”
Under no circumstances do they suggest making the announcement before receiving security clearances.
Starmerdenied facing pressure regarding the appointment of the ambassador to the U.S.
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