Speeches by Anderson.

“So it was a situation that needed to be resolved during that week. Do you think that the process of that week—the due diligence part of this and the timing of it—is evidence of pressure, of undue pressure, or of due process being followed?”

“Did you attend any of Peter Mandelson’s private dinners that he hosted in his house or in restaurants? He held monthly dinners for political people. It is just reported; I have not been to any of these, and I don’t think anyone here has, but have you been to any of those dinners?”

“Okay. We are trying to get to the bottom of who really proposed Mandelson’s appointment. You have said you were sorry for your part in it, but also that, before you started in post after the election, there were some access talks. You referred to access talks in January 2024, which you were not party to, but which happ…”

“I appreciate your talking about the victims and survivors of Epstein at the beginning. I think I speak for the whole Committee in saying they are very much on our mind. Do you think the violence against women and girls aspect of this and the relationship with Epstein were downplayed during the conversations you had wit…”

“What was the outcome of that due diligence? Was that the important factor between the two, one going before another?”

“By PET—and by writing to you?”

“Thank you for coming in to see us today. I am going to take you back to the very beginning of the process. It is famous that Peter Mandelson hosted dinners with political people at his house and in restaurants—it is widely reported. Did you attend any of those dinners in 2024 or up to your departure in 2025 at his hous…”

“That was the due diligence report that is now in the Humble Address papers that we have all seen. Is that the report you are talking about?”

“I suppose I am really asking this because I was a Minister. Every single conversation I had felt like it was definitely being documented very, very well, but I don’t know about chiefs of staff to Prime Ministers. Are all of their meetings documented in the same way that Ministers’ are?”

“Okay, that is clear. Thank you. My third area is around the due diligence itself. The document is there. Before publishing that, did you have to seek the same kind of legal advice, policy expert advice and propriety and ethics team advice that you had to about the security vetting? Was there any discussion about whethe…”

“In the due diligence, there are obviously issues that were then taken up in the security vetting, but there also issues about reputational risk. Would they have been part of the security vetting or would there have been another process to look further into the reputational risk, which is more a political decision than …”

“That is helpful, because we are seeing him next week, we hope. As you are gathering the documents, and you get them in and look at them, are you able to go back and say, “There seem to be some missing documents,” and investigate a little bit more in your document gathering?”

“So do you think there are any missing documents around those decisions? Have you asked any questions about more evidence of meetings by Morgan McSweeney before he even said to the Prime Minister that he should consider going forward with even the due diligence and even the security vetting—so, the early stages? Do you …”

“Thank you. The next question is about the letter to Sir Clive Alderton, who is the private secretary to the King, from Philip Barton, recommending the political appointment of HM Ambassador. I know you have read so many documents. You can’t be expected to know the details of all of them, but in this document, it says: …”

“In this case, in your role as chief operating officer going forward, and in looking at how we operate on this in the future—and that Ministers and the Prime Minister are given all the advice they need—this may be an area that is looked at. Unusual appointments like this are where it really comes to the crux, and there …”

“My final question is about the most recent part of the process, and those times and moments that the Prime Minister talked about—those moments when he felt that he should have been told more before going to the House of Commons for Prime Minister’s questions and other things. I am thinking about the unusual parts of th…”

“So there was no indication that you should seek legal advice, as has subsequently been done, and be able to give to the Prime Minister? It was not the whole truth that Peter Mandelson had just passed the vetting process. The whole truth was that there were concerns along the way—you could not reveal any of them, but th…”

“When ambassadors are appointed, it is normal that they have been through the process—this is a separate issue. I understand that they would have been through developed vetting as a normal part of their appointment before that. But in those cases, is it usual to have a series of mitigations, and to then be working throu…”

“My final question is about the most recent part of the process, and those times and moments that the Prime Minister talked about—those moments when he felt that he should have been told more before going to the House of Commons for Prime Minister’s questions and other things. I am thinking about the unusual parts of th…”

“You did not know about any of those conversations.”