UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer has stated he is "absolutely furious" that he was not informed about Peter Mandelson's failure to pass security vetting before being appointed as ambassador to Washington. This revelation has sparked renewed calls for his resignation, highlighting deep-seated issues within the British government's appointment processes.
Starmer maintained on Friday that he was kept in the dark regarding the Foreign Office's decision to overrule security officials' recommendation against appointing the Labour Party grandee. He described the failure to inform him, as prime minister, as "staggering" and "unforgivable," pledging to present "all the relevant facts in true transparency" to Parliament on Monday. Starmer claimed he only learned of the botched process on Tuesday, just before The Guardian published the exposé on Thursday, which coincided with the ousting of top Foreign Office civil servant Olly Robbins.
Darren Jones, the chief secretary to the prime minister, confirmed on Friday that "the recommendation was to not appoint Peter Mandelson to the role," and that the Foreign Office disregarded it. He called this "astonishing" but noted it was within the rules. No government minister was reportedly told of the security assessment conducted by UK Security Vetting, a standard practice due to the sensitive nature of personal information involved.
Opposition Conservative Party leader Kemi Badenoch dismissed claims of the prime minister's ignorance as "completely preposterous," asserting that "this story does not stack up" and "all roads lead to a resignation." Starmer, however, has repeatedly insisted that "due process" was followed in Mandelson's appointment, announced in December 2024, with Mandelson taking up the post in February 2025.
Mandelson was fired just seven months later, in September 2025, after documents released by a US Congressional committee revealed new details about the extent of his ties to the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. Police have opened an investigation into allegations of misconduct in office by Mandelson, including claims he leaked sensitive documents to Epstein during his time as a government minister, particularly around the 2008 financial crash.
Source: www.aljazeera.com