Ambassadorial appointments should be subject to veto by MPs, committee recommends

Foreign affairs select committee says Peter Mandelson episode was ‘nothing short of disastrous’ for government

Political selections for ambassador posts should be subject to a veto by MPs, a parliamentary committee has recommended, as it made damning criticisms of how Peter Mandelson became Britain’s top diplomat in Washington.

The foreign affairs select committee concluded that Mandelson’s appointment was “nothing short of disastrous”, “highly damaging” for the British government and “painful and offensive to the victims of Jeffrey Epstein”.