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The IndependentWednesday, 22 April 2026
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No 10 secretly sought ambassador role for disgraced Starmer ally
In explosive evidence to MPs, sacked civil servant says Downing Street pressured Foreign Office into not only approving Mandelson but also finding diplomatic job for aide later suspended over links to paedophile
The paper leads with select committee testimony to frame Downing Street as having inappropriately bypassed standard procedures to reward political allies. The focus is squarely on the alleged secrecy and the subsequent disgrace of the aide involved.
A former senior civil servant has provided evidence to a parliamentary committee alleging that Downing Street applied pressure to secure diplomatic postings for political allies, one of whom was later suspended from their party over controversial associations.
“disgraced Starmer ally”
“Investigative and adversarial”
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