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'Staggering' I was not told Mandelson failed vetting, says PM
Starmer says no minister was told of the failed vetting, while opposition leaders say the Foreign Office overruled security advice and misled Parliament.
- On Thursday, Prime Minister Keir Starmer sacked top civil servant Sir Olly Robbins after discovering on Tuesday that Lord Peter Mandelson failed security vetting in January 2025, prompting a probe into the Foreign Office's handling.
- The Foreign Office overruled UKSV specialists who denied clearance to Mandelson for the Washington role, though Starmer claimed neither he nor any ministers knew the vetting process was bypassed.
- Speaking from Paris, Starmer called the failure 'staggering' and 'unforgivable,' stating he was 'absolutely furious' that Parliament was misled about due process being followed during the appointment.
- Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch accused the Prime Minister of taking 'the public for fools,' claiming 'all roads lead to a resignation' if Starmer misled Parliament about the vetting row.
- Starmer will face MPs on Monday to 'set out all of the relevant facts' amid pressure to resign, as Chief Secretary Darren Jones acknowledged the problem is unprecedented in government.
92 Articles
92 Articles
Starmer's Mandelson nightmare never ends. This time, it may cost him his job as UK leader - The Morning Sun
LONDON (AP) — British Prime Minister Keir Starmer probably wishes he had never heard the name Peter Mandelson. Starmer is again facing questions over his future. And again, it’s do with his misguided decision to appoint a self-professed “best pal” of convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein to the plummiest of plum jobs in U.K. diplomacy — that of ambassador to the United States. Two months ago when he was last imperiled over the appointment in la…
Peter Mandelson was sent to Washington despite a failed security check, which initially cost a top official the post, but the pressure on Prime Minister Keir Starmer is growing.
Owensboro Messenger-Inquirer
TimesDailyStarmer rejects calls to resign over Mandelson appointment
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer has no plans to resign over the appointment of Peter Mandelson as U.K. ambassador to Washington, despite Mandelson failing security checks. Starmer says he was unaware that the Foreign Office overruled security officials' recommendations in…
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