LONDON – Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has expressed fury after learning that his former US ambassador, Lord Peter Mandelson, had failed security vetting before being appointed, as fresh calls mount for the prime minister to resign.
The controversy has intensified scrutiny over Starmer’s judgment, coming just three weeks before Labour faces expected heavy losses in the local elections in England on 7 May, along with Scottish Parliament and Senedd elections in Wales.
Starmer, who secured Labour’s largest-ever majority in the 2024 general election, had hoped to draw a line under the Mandelson affair after sacking the veteran Labour peer last September over his undisclosed ties to the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
However, new revelations on Thursday showed that Mandelson failed initial security vetting, with the Foreign Office reportedly overruling the recommendation. Downing Street insists the prime minister was not informed of the failure at the time of the appointment in late 2024 or early 2025.
Speaking to reporters while in France on Friday for talks on the Iran crisis, Starmer described the situation as “staggering” and “unforgivable”.
“That I wasn’t told that Peter Mandelson had failed security vetting when I was telling Parliament that due process had been followed is unforgivable,” he said.
When asked if he would resign, Starmer replied that he would “set out the relevant facts” to Parliament on Monday. A Downing Street spokesperson insisted the prime minister has no plans to step down.
In a swift attempt to contain the damage, the government sacked the Foreign Office’s most senior civil servant, Sir Olly Robbins, late on Thursday.
Critics from across the opposition have questioned how the prime minister could have been unaware of such a critical detail regarding an appointment he had personally championed.
Kemi Badenoch, leader of the Conservative Party, called Starmer’s defence “preposterous”, while Reform UK leader Nigel Farage described it as “blatant dishonesty”. Badenoch added on X that working for Starmer was becoming “one of the most dangerous occupations in the UK”.
Several Labour MPs, speaking anonymously, described the saga as “a gift that keeps on giving” for the party’s opponents ahead of the local elections. One suggested that Deputy Prime Minister David Lammy, who was Foreign Secretary at the time of the appointment, should consider resigning.
Starmer’s spokesperson maintained that neither the prime minister, any minister, nor No 10 officials were aware of the vetting failure until this week. A letter from the Foreign Office in January 2025, later released to Parliament, had stated that Mandelson’s security clearance was confirmed and valid until 2030.
Mandelson was dismissed as ambassador in September 2025 after further Epstein-related documents emerged. He is now under police investigation over separate allegations of leaking government documents, which he has not publicly addressed.
Lord George Foulkes, a Labour peer, urged caution, warning that it would be “reckless” to move against Starmer at this stage given the range of issues the prime minister is handling.
To trigger a leadership challenge, at least 20% of Labour MPs (81 lawmakers) would need to back a rival candidate.
For now, Starmer remains in post, but the Mandelson vetting scandal has once again raised serious questions about oversight and accountability at the heart of government.
Source: Reuters
