Ian Collard Will Not Appear Before Parliamentary Committee
A central figure in the controversy surrounding Lord Mandelson's security vetting has declined to provide oral evidence to a parliamentary committee of Members of Parliament.
The Foreign Affairs Committee had formally requested the attendance of Ian Collard, a civil servant who managed the security team within the Foreign Office, for a session scheduled next week.
However, the committee's chair, Dame Emily Thornberry, announced that the Foreign Office had made the "decision to decline" the request, and that Collard would instead submit his evidence in writing.
Role of Ian Collard in Mandelson Vetting Process
Collard was the official responsible for briefing the then-Foreign Office head, Sir Olly Robbins, regarding the UK Security and Vetting (UKSV) unit's recommendation to withhold security clearance from Lord Mandelson.
Sir Olly Robbins was dismissed last week after it was revealed that he had granted security clearance contrary to the UKSV recommendation and had failed to inform No 10 Downing Street about this decision.
The government maintains that UKSV explicitly advised the Foreign Office against approving vetting for Lord Mandelson prior to his appointment as the UK ambassador to the United States.
During testimony before the Foreign Affairs Committee this week, Sir Olly stated that he had never seen a formal written recommendation and had only received a verbal briefing characterizing UKSV's position as "borderline" and "leaning towards recommending that clearance be denied."
Ongoing Investigations and Review
The government is currently investigating whether Sir Olly was provided with accurate and complete information before he authorized security clearance for Lord Mandelson.
Sir Adrian Fulford, a retired judge, has been appointed to conduct an independent review of the vetting process. It is understood that his review will examine whether Collard's briefing accurately reflected the vetting team's stance.
This information is expected to be critical in assessing whether Sir Keir Starmer's decision to dismiss Sir Olly last week was justified.
Committee's Written Questions to Collard
In a letter addressed to the interim Foreign Office head, Dame Emily Thornberry outlined several questions for Collard to respond to in writing, including:
"How often did his team make a different recommendation on vetting to that contained in the UKSV report?"
The Foreign Office has not issued any statement regarding Collard's refusal to appear before the committee.
Additional Witnesses and Political Context
Sir Keir Starmer's former chief of staff, Morgan McSweeney, is scheduled to provide evidence to the committee on Tuesday.
McSweeney, who advised the prime minister on appointing Lord Mandelson as ambassador to the US, is expected to be questioned about whether he exerted pressure on civil servants to expedite the vetting process.
This development follows accusations from Sir Olly Robbins that No 10 Downing Street displayed a "dismissive" attitude toward the vetting procedure, a claim that Downing Street has denied.
The controversy surrounding Lord Mandelson's vetting has reignited scrutiny among Labour MPs concerning Sir Keir Starmer's judgment and leadership.
At Prime Minister's Questions, Sir Keir defended his actions, stating:
"If the Foreign Office had told me about the vetting concerns 'Mandelson would not have been committed to post'."
