There was a “very, very strong expectation” that Mandelson would take up the ambassadorship as quickly as possible, says Olly Robbins, a former senior official at the British Foreign Office.
Robbins says he felt political pressure to rush through the appointment even though Mandelson had failed his security clearance.
Mandelson was sacked after nine months when his close links to sex offender Jeffrey Epstein were revealed. Robbins was sacked by Prime Minister Keir Starmer last week.
The scandal has led to calls for Starmer's resignation. The Prime Minister has claimed that he was unaware that the security clearance had been rejected.
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