Borrowed from X courtesy of @richardholmes.bsky.social - a very helpful example of what a vetting officer hands over to a Whitehall department.

Also, there is a huge difference between passing on a full vetting report with personal data and vetting officer recommendations, and a simple Pass/Fail recommendation from the designated authority for public office vetting.

I had forgotten this aspect but if an unauthorised disclosure - a leak - to the Times occurred and pushed the PM to make the announcement of Mandelson's appointment before vetting had taken place, that's actually quite important.

Incidentally that Article 7 aspect of China's National Intelligence Law always makes me chuckle because of its "do unto others" approach.

There's having control of your sartorial options to showcase your wealth/fame/ego/Pilates regime [insert as appropriate] and then there's being on the receiving end of Kanye West. Last year was certainly a new low for sheer. www.thetimes.com/article/29cb...

Walking my way through Harriet's guidance in the Times on how to wear sheer in your latter years (because, sartorially curious) and of course that trail leads to the inevitable arms/bum/tit race of the Awards ceremonies, and thence to poor Bianca Censori. www.thetimes.com/life-style/f...

This article on substack & polymarket is really worth reading. "These guys are all about trapping you, me, all of us into a permanent state of braindead catatonia in which all we do all day is doom scroll and click buttons that send money to billionaires." open.substack.com/pub/speterda...

Because everything can ultimately be exploited with the correct conditions in place i.e., sufficient resources to render value from what has been taken, and more targeted domestic development and innovation.

Why do you thing he stole all of those classified security documents last time? This family feels entitled to use the United States for their personal enrichment. His voters ignored all of corruption during his 1st term.

Ukraine’s advice to countries suddenly waking up to the threat: build up your reserve numbers now, not once you’ve been invaded foreignpolicy.com/2026/04/16/u...

In case I need to spell it out, yes it would be much more difficult for the vetting sponsor - the FCDO - to obfuscate, if that has been the case, the decision from the UKSV, if anyone had bothered to ask directly.

The core problem is the appointment. They wanted Mandelson, the system gave them Mandelson. The system worked as it is meant to. The problem is the original sin - the decision (the desire) to appoint Mandelson.

The Trumpoline.

Oh my good golly, that's a statement and a half from Matthew Syed.

Every now and then, Pinterest brings the ultimate goods in Maths LOLs

This looks legit

All I know is, the drum has been banged loudly enough on obvious value chain vulnerabilities such as EV manufacturing, and still the tariffs aren't in place. So even with critical tech definitions, I'm not sure I see much changing if China's involved. mostfavourednation.substack.com/p/where-is-i...

but jesus christ, eyeroll.

Well that's a start, from an insider risk management perspective,

Coming back to this excellent piece from RUSI, the whole concept of persec and insider risk and threat mitigation needs a complete overhaul. Not just, apparently, the due diligence and vetting processes. bsky.app/profile/usag...

Someone turning up with a cross-Whitehall DV pass, in this instance a politically-exposed person with a known colourful background (with further developments to it flagged in a pre-vet due diligence process) is apparently sufficient.

And I think there is something seriously wrong with this government's approach to managing its personnel security if that is the case, if it didn't even cross their minds.

But you are not telling me that *no one* sensible in Starmer's inner circle, nor the PM himself, actually bothered to ask what the vetting decision had been at the time.

Yes, the process is by its nature insular and kept between sponsor and vetting/persec teams. It's incumbent upon the sponsor to parcel out information about the decision once it's made, and this one, being high profile, probably attracted more attention and oversight.

The point I keep coming back to is, is personnel security - vetting, in this context - so unimportant, so low down on the list of priorities for top politicians, so menial a task apparently, that none of them thought to *ask* if Mandelson had actually passed. www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2026...

This the key point. If FCDO did overturn the vetting without telling anyone it was because it had already been announced. Which was a ridiculous thing to do.

"Starmer says it is ‘staggering’ and ‘unforgivable’ he was not told Mandelson failed vetting." But did Starmer ask about vetting before he said Mandelson had passed vetting? The careful "I was not told" line seems to evade whether he actually asked.

“Of course in the old days Bluesky was only on for three hours a day. We used to get dressed up in our Sunday best to log on to it. Then when it shut down again we’d all stand up and sing the national anthem”

The point I keep coming back to is, is personnel security - vetting, in this context - so unimportant, so low down on the list of priorities for top politicians, so menial a task apparently, that none of them thought to *ask* if Mandelson had actually passed. www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2026...

Who are these people and how do they pass any form of lightweight due diligence, let alone vetting for clearances, given the profound exhibitionism? www.thetimes.com/article/9ee0...

Kash Patel is a serious person with a serious understanding of personal and personnel security, don't you know. www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/poli...

Proposal that as well as failure CVs, we also maintain 'things I was asked to do but was too busy for' CVs.

Ukraine makes Russia feel the consequences: 'One resident of Kursk region reacted to official claims Ukrainian attacks had been repelled: "They say everything was intercepted — but there was no real protection at all. No air defense. It’s just embarrassing."' kyivindependent.com/ukraine-brin...

The Law Commission's recommendations for two new offences - introduced on 16th September 2025 as part of the Public Office (Accountability) Bill, approaching its third reading in the Commons - are far tighter and applicable to modern politics. lawcom.gov.uk/project/misc...

The Commission's remit will be to assist public bodies in their implementation of the new Public Office (Accountability) Bill that is replacing the Misconduct in Public Office common law offence that Mandelson's being prosecuted for, with two new statutory offences. bsky.app/profile/usag...

The Committee report also calls for HMG to set up a central Political Finance Enforcement Unit within the National Crime Agency, to lead and hold overall accountability for investigations into political finance.

I'd like to think that both these cases reflect a growing awareness across industry - hopefully influenced by the state/national technical authorities such as the NPSA - of the risks to their sectors and companies posed by an avaricious and ruthless Chinese state.

by rooting out risks to Imagination Technologies in bringing it to the attention of both the US and UK administrations with a hostile takeover and the repurposing of dual-use tech to the advantage of the CCP.

He's basically saved the British government significant time and effort working through the requirements of the National Security and Investment Act for such a takeover, bsky.app/profile/usag...

A CEO sacked for highlighting risks to national security posed by the Chinese administration's move to take over and redomicile in China a British company working in critical technologies, has been awarded £1.5 million in compensation. www.thetimes.com/article/5120...

Uk government to cancel/review debts of unpaid carers www.gov.uk/government/n...

Economically insolvent shell tries to do penny stock stuff with its valuable market quote, bagholders enthusiastically clutch at proffered bag.

Walking my way through Harriet's guidance in the Times on how to wear sheer in your latter years (because, sartorially curious) and of course that trail leads to the inevitable arms/bum/tit race of the Awards ceremonies, and thence to poor Bianca Censori. www.thetimes.com/life-style/f...

Sorry but "Maga-aligned groups" involved in perpetuating false narratives about London's decline deserves a little more attention than a single line in this piece. www.thetimes.com/article/d5de...

Have to admit I'm kind of irritated that Trump has disproved the existence of God by not being struck down this morning. I guess all those American mega churches will have to give back all the money they extracted from their flock now.

Now send JD Vance to run the publicity team for the new Harry Potter series.

Between the exploratory science, flat earther comments and truly phenomenal photos, that concludes a pretty intense week.