No 10 appointed Mandelson despite security concerns, Sky News understands

The information services expressed interest astir the assignment of Lord Mandelson arsenic ambassador to Washington, but No 10 went up anyway, Sky News understands.

Downing Street contiguous defended the extended vetting process which elder civilian servants spell done successful bid to get jobs, raising questions astir whether oregon not they missed thing oregon No 10 ignored their advice.

Sky News has been told by 2 sources that the information services did emblem concerns arsenic portion of the process.

No 10 did not justice these concerns arsenic capable to halt the ambassadorial appointment.

It is not known whether each of the item was shared with Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer personally.

Sky News has been told immoderate members of the information services are unhappy with what has taken spot successful Downing Street.

Lord Mandelson is adjacent to Sir Keir's main of staff, Morgan McSweeney, who is known to person been keen connected the assignment - and the brace spoke regularly.

No 10 says the information vetting process is each done astatine a departmental level with nary No 10 involvement.

Lord Mandelson was sacked arsenic the UK's ambassador to the US by Sir Keir earlier connected Thursday implicit his ties to disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein.

The premier minister, who selected Lord Mandelson for the role, made the determination aft caller emails revealed the Labour adjacent sent messages of enactment to Epstein adjacent arsenic helium faced jailhouse for enactment offences successful 2008.

In 1 peculiar message, Lord Mandelson had suggested that Epstein's archetypal condemnation was wrongful and should beryllium challenged.

The Foreign Office said the emails showed "the extent and grade of Peter Mandelson's narration with Jeffrey Epstein is materially antithetic from that known astatine the clip of his appointment".

The determination to sack the diplomat was made by the premier curate and Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper connected Thursday morning, Sky News understands.

This was aft Sir Keir had reviewed each the caller disposable accusation past night.

It comes aft a drawstring of allegations astir the diplomat's narration with Epstein, which emerged successful the media this week, including a 2003 day connection successful which helium called the enactment offender his "best pal".

Further allegations were past published successful The Telegraph connected Wednesday morning, suggesting that Lord Mandelson had emailed Epstein to acceptable up concern meetings pursuing the latter's condemnation for kid enactment offences successful 2008.

Additional emails were past published detailing however the diplomat wrote to Epstein the time earlier helium went to situation successful June 2008 to service clip for soliciting enactment from a minor. Lord Mandelson said: "I deliberation the satellite of you."