What happens during security vetting and why did Peter Mandelson fail his?
Friday, April 17, 2026 at 4:44 PM · By Henry Dyer, Paul Lewis and Pippa Crerar
Almost all officials working in Foreign Office HQ undergo process before gaining access to top secret material After Keir Starmer announced Peter Mandelson as his pick to be ambassador to the US in December 2024, officials in the Foreign Office contacted him to organise the security vetting clearance process. As with almost all of the 8,000 officials working in the Foreign Office’s Whitehall headquarters, Mandelson required a level of clearance known as developed vetting(DV). This is necessary…