Speeches by Whittingdale.

“When were you first told that it was likely to be a political appointment?”

“So until 15 December you had no information that any discussion had taken place, and certainly that a decision had been reached.”

“So the decision was that he required DV. That was your view and it was the view of the Foreign Office security department, yet we know that prior to him obtaining DV clearance, he was given access to information that would usually require DV to have been completed. How did that come about?”

“A meeting took place, which led to the private secretary writing to say that that was the decision. Is there a record of that meeting?”

“Not DV.”

“Could you just clarify the summary document and the template that has now been published by the Government, setting out the process? Can you just say what the two red boxes are, and whether they were the ones ticked?”

“Wouldn’t you expect to see further information around this?”

“Are you asking why there isn’t a further document setting out a record of that meeting?”

“So you are continuing to push.”

“No, but the Government did take the decision to publish the template.”

“But there isn’t one of this.”

“So why was there such a long gap between you and the Cabinet Secretary discovering this, and your going to tell the Prime Minister?”

“It took three weeks.”

“Okay. Can I then come to the actual outcome of the DV process? I think you said that UKSV sent a 10-page document, essentially setting out their findings. One assumes that that must have included the traffic lights. I mean, a 10-page document cannot exclude the final recommendation, which is not to give clearance.”

“And when did you tell the Prime Minister?”

“Just as a quick follow-up to the questions that Fleur has been asking, you have said that all the documentation around the appointment itself has now been included in the first batch of published documents, and that you have been very rigorous to make sure that it covers that. Why is there no formal record of the actua…”

“But what I am talking about is before UKSV had made any recommendation. It is the fact that the Cabinet Office has said that the appointment should not be announced and made until DV had been completed, and yet that was what happened, against the strong advice of the Cabinet Office.”

“You weren’t involved, but you represent the Cabinet Office and that was the Cabinet Office view at the time.”

“Before moving on to my final area, can I confirm that the Foreign Office has the 10-page summary, but Sir Olly Robbins did not see the 10-page summary? He was briefed on its contents by the director of security, and therefore, in seeking to try to explain the two different views, is it possible that it was simply a fai…”

“We will wait and see. Can I finally move on to one other part of this process? When exactly did the Cabinet Office and yourself discover that the UKSV recommendation had not been complied with by the Foreign Office?”