British Prime Minister Keir Starmer is under intense pressure to resign over his decision to appoint Peter Mandelson as the United Kingdom’s ambassador to the United States after it emerged that Mandelson had failed a key security vetting.
Public anger has grown in recent months following revelations that Mandelson’s 2024 nomination went ahead despite longstanding concerns about his close links to late US sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. Mandelson, a veteran Labour figure who has held several ministerial positions since the late 1990s, has faced multiple scandals throughout his political career.
The government has tried to shift blame onto foreign ministry officials, insisting that neither Starmer nor his foreign secretary knew about the failed vetting until this week. According to senior minister Darren Jones, the top civil servant at the foreign ministry, Olly Robbins, has now resigned after Starmer lost confidence in him for not passing on the decision about the security check.
Officials at the foreign ministry reportedly allowed Mandelson’s appointment to proceed despite a negative assessment from UK Security Vetting, which advises on the suitability of candidates for sensitive posts. The government confirmed this on Thursday, following an initial report by the Guardian newspaper.
Opposition politicians have seized on the scandal, accusing Starmer of serious misjudgment and demanding that he step down. The Conservatives’ leader, Kemi Badenoch, wrote on X that Starmer had betrayed national security and should leave office.
The role of UK ambassador to Washington is widely seen as Britain’s most important diplomatic posting, responsible for managing relations with US President Donald Trump and safeguarding the “special relationship” between the two countries. Earlier this year, two of Starmer’s senior political aides resigned as the row over Mandelson’s appointment intensified.
Starmer removed Mandelson from the ambassadorial role in September last year, only a few months after he took up the position, as further questions were raised about his background. The prime minister has since accused Mandelson of lying about the depth of his relationship with Epstein during the vetting process.
Police have opened an investigation into Mandelson over alleged misconduct in public office. He was arrested and later released on bail in February, and is being investigated over claims that he leaked sensitive government documents to Epstein while serving as a minister, including during the 2008 financial crisis.
Mandelson denies any criminal wrongdoing and has not been charged.
Due diligence advice submitted to Starmer in December 2024 highlighted multiple reports detailing Mandelson’s ties to Epstein, who was convicted of sex offences in Florida in 2008, including soliciting a minor. The documents said their relationship continued between 2009 and 2011, beginning while Mandelson was still a minister and continuing after the Labour government left office in 2010. They also noted reports that Mandelson stayed in Epstein’s house while Epstein was in jail in June 2009.
Lawmakers earlier this year ordered the Labour government to release tens of thousands of emails, messages and documents covering how Mandelson was vetted for the Washington post. A second batch of these documents is expected in the coming weeks, keeping the political pressure on Starmer and his government.
Darren Jones has insisted that Starmer did not mislead parliament and called the handling of Mandelson’s appointment “a failure of the state”, criticising the decision to override security advice. He said the prime minister was furious to learn of the failed vetting only on Tuesday evening and would address parliament on the matter on Monday. Jones also argued that Starmer remains a strong and credible leader on the world stage despite the scandal.
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