Speeches by Carden.

“I don’t want you to comment on it; I want to know if we are going to see notes and minutes of discussions and decisions that were made when it comes to the reason why he left the FCDO before he was meant to.”

“I want to return to the timeline around December and January. Anyone can correct me if this is wrong, but I think it is right that the decision to appoint Mandelson was on 18 December. The announcement was made on the 20th. Vetting began on the 23rd. Olly Robbins became the permanent under-secretary on 20 January. In t…”

“In relation to your responsibility overseeing the Government response to the Humble Address, we have seen Simon Case’s advice that developed vetting should have been sought before the announcement of the appointment. Have you seen any notes of meetings or notes in response to why that wasn’t followed? Was a decision ta…”

“We don’t know why that wasn’t followed through.”

“I think you have accepted today that due process was followed throughout the vetting process. I just want to clarify that that means the decision maker for passing vetting was Olly Robbins.”

“If we go back again, the Cabinet Secretary at the time, Lord Case, advised the Prime Minister to carry out security vetting prior to announcing any appointment. Why would that advice not have been followed?”

“I wonder why it would not have happened automatically? If that was the view of the civil service, that vetting would be gained before an announcement made, why would that advice not just automatically be followed?”

“You are one of the country’s most distinguished civil servants and you have this week been dismissed by the Prime Minister. Can you tell us why? Is it your contention that you have delivered your duty, that you have carried out security vetting in the usual procedural way? What is your reaction to the way that you have…”

“If we go back again, the Cabinet Secretary at the time, Lord Case, advised the Prime Minister to carry out security vetting prior to announcing any appointment. Why would that advice not have been followed?”

“Yesterday, the Prime Minister said, “Foreign Office officials granted him developed vetting clearance, against the specific recommendation of the United Kingdom Security Vetting that developed vetting clearance should be denied.” And then you have said to us that UKSV did not fail Mandelson and FCDO did not overrule th…”

“I wonder why it would not have happened automatically? If that was the view of the civil service, that vetting would be gained before an announcement made, why would that advice not just automatically be followed?”

“What I want to ask, having heard everything you have given us so far, is: what do you think would have happened if you had denied clearance? How would you have gone about that? What would the impact of that be? Would it even be possible?”

“Yesterday, the Prime Minister said, “Foreign Office officials granted him developed vetting clearance, against the specific recommendation of the United Kingdom Security Vetting that developed vetting clearance should be denied.” And then you have said to us that UKSV did not fail Mandelson and FCDO did not overrule th…”

“What I want to ask, having heard everything you have given us so far, is: what do you think would have happened if you had denied clearance? How would you have gone about that? What would the impact of that be? Would it even be possible?”

“Finally, is the Prime Minister right to have expected you to provide him with more information on the vetting process?”

“Finally, is the Prime Minister right to have expected you to provide him with more information on the vetting process?”

“You are one of the country’s most distinguished civil servants and you have this week been dismissed by the Prime Minister. Can you tell us why? Is it your contention that you have delivered your duty, that you have carried out security vetting in the usual procedural way? What is your reaction to the way that you have…”

“There is an injection of housing investment in some parts of my constituency, but sadly it is by landlords who are taking advantage of low house prices to turn family homes and whole terraces into houses in multiple occupation, charging sky-high rents for people to live in single bedrooms, undermining the local communi…”

“19. What the evidential basis is for his Department’s policy on rent control.”

“I thank the Chancellor for her statement. May I ask her to do something for a specific group of people? Constituents who have to rent their home in the private rented market, especially those in more deprived communities like mine, will see their energy bills go up, but their biggest outgoing each month will still be t…”