Speeches by Brandreth.

“Were you aware that others in No. 10 were considering whether making a severance payment would reduce the likelihood of Lord Mandelson potentially becoming a public critic of the Government?”

“You clearly felt that Peter Mandelson was the right person for the job. You had recommended him to the Prime Minister, although you have said that you believe that the Prime Minister would have sought a wide range of opinions. Despite the fact that you ultimately resigned over your advice to the Prime Minister, would y…”

“Civil servants, including those in ambassadorial roles, can be eligible for a severance payment when their employment is terminated. Were you aware that Peter Mandelson would receive a severance payment on leaving his role?”

“I want to go back over some of the questions that the Chair asked you. I will ask some follow-ups and seek some clarification on some of them. You said that you were out in the States at the start of December prior to the appointment being made. When you were out there, in the offline conversations that you were having…”

“Okay. Thinking about the security vetting, we heard from Sir Philip Barton that there was no contingency plan in place in case security clearance was not granted to Peter Mandelson. Had you considered the possibility that clearance would be denied, and had you put any contingency plan in place?”

“You know the United States very well from your previous diplomatic role there, and you probably had links with people out there. Were you aware of any views expressed by the President’s transitional team about concerns about Mandelson being given that post, or about Dame Karen Pierce being moved on from the post?”

“I have a few follow-ups.”

“I want to check something with you. Despite being the head of the diplomatic service, you obviously were not asked by No. 10 or the Prime Minister, directly or indirectly, your view on Peter Mandelson’s suitability for the role. Had you been asked, would you have said that you had concerns about the reputational risks …”

“You mention, of course, the links to Jeffrey Epstein, which were in the media at the time. Did you have concerns about Mandelson’s business relationships with China and Russia?”

“You say that it was not a big conversation, but it obviously went to the head of the diplomatic service, so that is quite a senior conversation to be having. In your answer, you said that you believe that it was not told to David Lammy, the Foreign Secretary at the time, because it was a sensitive HR issue. Are you awa…”

“How involved would you say the Foreign Secretary was at the time in that decision to appoint Mandelson as the ambassador?”

“Okay. So you do not recognise the reports that there may have been emails that said that, if they paid him off, it would limit his reputational risk.”

“Sir Oliver Robbins, in his evidence to the Committee, told us that Peter Mandelson was given access to classified documents before he was granted security vetting. Would you say that is unusual?”

“Would you, though—given that we have talked about the level of note taking that is required, and where there might be notes and minutes—have expected to see notes in relation to that from a special adviser or PPS?”

“Thank you. You shared some information around the claim that the Cabinet Office questioned the need for vetting, and you set out how you think that occurred and the correct, as you see it, interpretation of that. Are you aware of any special advisers who were suggesting that Mandelson might not have needed vetting? Has…”

“Obviously we have now heard in this case that Peter Mandelson was granted security clearance despite the recommendation of UKSV, and that he obviously had risks or mitigations that were managed. Are you aware of any other individuals who might be in a similar position, where the ultimate granting of security clearance …”

“Obviously, we have talked a bit about how accurate notes are required to be kept, although obviously not for every single conversation that happens. Will the Humble Address include notes or a minute on the Prime Minister’s decision to appoint Lord Mandelson to the position?”

“Thinking through where there might have been other political appointments into roles, it is quite unusual, obviously, to have political appointments, especially to such senior roles. We know, however, that for example Jonathan Powell is a political appointment as National Security Adviser, but he was also special envoy…”

“Okay, thank you. Q780 Fleur Anderson: I am going to ask you some questions about your document gathering, going back to the documents referring to the very early stages of the process, before the vetting and before the appointment. First, about the pre-appointment conversations that Morgan McSweeney may have held, woul…”

“Thank you for giving us so much of your time. I want to clarify what you have said about the information that has already come through in the Humble Address and is expected still to come through. My understanding was that initially it was supposed to be provided by 10 April, but there is still further information to co…”