Bureaucratic Theatre

Last weekend, I almost wrote about how Keir Starmer was looking safe despite the coming catastrophe of losing Wales and getting wiped out in the English local government. That was before the toxicity surrounding Peter Mandelson's appointment resurfaced. Presenting like the Spanish Inquisition, from nowhere we learned that Starmer wasn't told that the former US ambassador had failed his security vetting in January 2025 and that the Foreign Office cleared Mandelson anyway. Olly Robbins, the civil servant in charge, was promptly sacked when Starmer found out. There has since followed a who-knew-what-when game involving confected and performative frothing over procedural matters, and an effort to absolve the Prime Minister of all responsibility. In the Commons on Monday, Starmer apologised for appointing Mandelson. But then spent the next half hour recounting the timeline. He was adamant that he wasn't told about the outcome of the security check which, rather stupidly, was undertaken…