UK PM's Former Chief Admits Mistake in Supporting Mandelson as US Ambassador
Parliamentary Testimony on Ambassador Appointment
Background of the Appointment
LONDON, April 28 (Reuters) - British Prime Minister Keir Starmer's former chief of staff, Morgan McSweeney, said on Tuesday he had been wrong to propose the appointment of Peter Mandelson as U.S. ambassador but he had not circumvented the hiring process.
Rationale Behind the Recommendation
McSweeney told parliament he had thought Mandelson, a Labour veteran, would help Britain to get a trade deal with the United States after Donald Trump was returned to the White House.
Admission of Error
"The appointment of Mandelson as ambassador was a serious error of judgment. I advised the prime minister in support of that appointment and I was wrong to do so," McSweeney told the committee.
Clarification on Hiring Process
"What I did not do was oversee national security vetting, ask officials to ignore procedures, request that steps should be skipped, or communicate explicitly or implicitly that checks should be cleared at all costs."
Reporting Credits
(Reporting by Sam Tabahriti; writing by Muvija M; Editing by Kate Holton)
