A Veto Power for MPs: Lessons from the Mandelson Debacle The recent parliamentary committee report on Peter Mandelson's appointment as ambassador to Washington sheds light on the opaque and sometimes dysfunctional processes governing Britain's diplomatic postings.
The committee concludes that political appointees should be subject to a veto by MPs, an attempt to inject much needed transparency into these high stakes decisions.
One striking aspect of this story is the extraordinary lengths the government went to justify Mandelson's appointment despite significant security concerns.