7 hours ago
Jennifer McKiernan, Political reporter and Jack Fenwick, Political correspondent
Sir Keir Starmer said it was “staggering” that he, as prime minister, had not been told Lord Peter Mandelson failed initial security vetting checks.
The prime minister faces calls to resign after it emerged vetting officers recommended against approving Lord Mandelson as ambassador to the US, a recommendation the Foreign Office later overruled.
Sir Olly Robbins, who had been two weeks into leading the Foreign Office at the time, was effectively sacked by Sir Keir on Thursday night.
Opposition parties have demanded Sir Keir’s resignation. Tory leader Kemi Badenoch called the government’s explanation “completely preposterous”, saying “all roads lead to resignation” and accusing the prime minister of incompetence. She told a press conference in Westminster that Sir Keir “cannot hope” to continue leading the country and said she was “considering every parliamentary option” for removing him, urging Labour MPs to “do the right thing”.
BBC News understands Sir Olly is expected to appear before Parliament’s Foreign Affairs Committee on Tuesday to answer questions about Lord Mandelson’s vetting. He has not formally accepted the committee’s invitation, but friends say he was preparing to appear. They also suggested he may not have seen the full recommendation against approval and may only have been shown specific risks identified during the process.
Lord Mandelson was announced as UK ambassador to the US in December 2024, before in-depth vetting had been completed. He formally took up the role in February 2025 and was sacked seven months later over his ties to the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
The government later said no minister had been informed of the vetting recommendation at the time, and the prime minister only discovered it this week.
Speaking to journalists in Paris, Sir Keir said: “That I wasn’t told that Peter Mandelson had failed security vetting when he was appointed is staggering. That I wasn’t told that he had failed security vetting when I was telling Parliament that due process had been followed is unforgivable. Not only was I not told, no minister was told, and I’m absolutely furious about that. What I intend to do is to go to Parliament on Monday to set out all the relevant facts in true transparency, so Parliament has the full picture.” He added: “Number 10 was not told that he had failed security vetting – that is completely unacceptable.”
Senior minister Darren Jones said Sir Keir had not misled MPs when he said due process had been followed, and therefore would not be resigning. Jones told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme there was no obligation at the time for ministers to be told about security vetting decisions when Lord Mandelson was appointed, and said he had now changed that rule.
BBC News understands the United Kingdom Security Vetting (UKSV) service gave the Foreign Office an explicit recommendation not to approve Lord Mandelson’s vetting. UKSV, which carried out the work on behalf of the Cabinet Office, presented the Foreign Office with a list of potential risks and a recommendation summarising them. Sources say the recommendation was a “no”. The Foreign Office is believed to be the only department in Whitehall with the authority to overrule such a recommendation.
Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey said the prime minister’s explanation “just doesn’t stack up” and called for Sir Keir to go. He has called for an investigation by the Privileges Committee into whether Sir Keir intentionally misled Parliament. Lib Dem Cabinet Office spokesperson Lisa Smart has written to the PM’s ethics adviser Sir Laurie Magnus urging an investigation.
Foreign Affairs select committee chair Dame Emily Thornberry has invited Sir Olly to give evidence next Tuesday; it will be the second time he has been questioned about the Mandelson affair. Dame Emily told Sky News she wanted to know whether the decision was Sir Olly’s own or the result of pressure from elsewhere and, if so, by whom.
Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar, campaigning in Edinburgh, said he stood by his call for Sir Keir to resign, describing the Mandelson scandal as the “tipping point” and calling Lord Mandelson “a traitor to his party and country”. The SNP, Green Party and Reform UK have also called for the prime minister to resign.
