Members: Correspondence
The question
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, with reference to the answer of 23 February 2026 to Question 111183 on Prime Minister: Correspondence, what her timetable is for responding to the formal (a) stage 2 complaint and (b) stage 1 complaint contained in the hon. Member for Brentwood and Ongar's letter of 15 August 2025.
Answered by Seema Malhotra
The Hon Member's letter of 15 August 2025 was addressed to the Prime Minister and passed to the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) as the responsible department.
The then FCDO Permanent Under-Secretary (PUS), Sir Oliver Robbins, had previously confirmed in a letter dated 24 July 2025 - in response to a question from the Rt Hon Richard Holden MP - that Lord Mandelson was aware of his obligations under the Diplomatic Service Code and that he would continue to apply the Code in the context of Lord Mandelson's political appointment.
The former PUS was the final decision maker on the issue of applying the Civil Service code to Peter Mandelson, and his decision was enacted. There is no further stage or course for review regarding this complaint. In respect of the subsequent complaint, the former PUS has also left the Civil Service and there is no basis on which to take the matter further.
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