Speeches by Whittingdale.

“So, actually, you believe there is a record of all your communications from that phone, which, if relevant, will be released.”

“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?”

“Coming back to the answer you gave the Chair about you leaving your post, you said that David Lammy told you that he wanted to make a change because of the transformation programme. Do you believe that your concerns about the way in which Peter Mandelson was appointed had any influence on the decision to ask you to lea…”

“You have set out why you think he was well qualified to do the job, but you have also known him for a very long time. You would have also been fully aware of the fact that he had twice had to resign from the Cabinet; that he had business interests with China; that he had a close friendship with Jeffrey Epstein; and tha…”

“The Foreign Office must have been continuing to look at potential candidates to replace Karen Pierce.”

“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.”

“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?”

“Okay. Is that part of what you are examining?”

“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.”

“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…”

“And the former permanent secretary’s view.”

“And when did you tell the Prime Minister?”

“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…”

“I want to look at three aspects. First, we now know that the then Cabinet Secretary sent a note saying that Peter Mandelson should complete his developed vetting procedure before an announcement was made. We also know that Philip Barton essentially expressed the same view and Sir Olly Robbins also told us that it was s…”

“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.”

“Isn’t that pretty fundamental to the exercise you are conducting?”