Britain’s Prime Minister Keir Starmer is fighting to stay in office after it was revealed the controversial Labour politician Peter Mandelson was appointed US ambassador despite failing his security vetting.
The UK leader had reassured parliament that Mr Mandelson had passed rigorous security checks, only to be told on Tuesday that he had failed the exercise. The Foreign Office had overruled concerns by vetting officials.
That news led to the dismissal of the foreign office’s chief civil servant, Sir Olly Robbins, late on Thursday, who allegedly intervened following the invasive vetting process known as “developed vetting”. Clearance involves looking into people’s personal, financial, religious and sexual affairs before they are given access to top secret information.
It is now clear that Mr Mandelson, who had deep ties with the convicted paedophile Jeffrey Epstein, failed to pass the process, yet was still allowed to take up the UK’s most coveted ambassadorial post in Washington. He was sacked from that post in September when the Epstein links were disclosed in emails.
Security officials initially denied clearance for the peer, who previously had great influence in the Labour party, but Foreign Office officials took the rare step of overruling the recommendation.
Conservative opposition leader Kemi Badenoch said it was “utterly preposterous” that Mr Starmer was not aware that Mr Mandelson had failed security vetting. She accused him of “deliberate dishonesty,” adding that “he has lied and that it's resignation time”.
Liberal Democrat leader Ed Davey added that the prime minister had made “a catastrophic error of judgment” and potentially misled parliament. Adding that “if that is the case, he must go”.
Mr Starmer will now face the sternest test of his premiership when he gives a statement to parliament on Monday over the controversy and his role in it.
The main question for Mr Starmer is whether he was truthful when he assured parliament in recent months that “due process” had been followed in the decision to appoint Mr Mandelson to the key position despite his links to China, Russia and Epstein.
Mr Starmer, who is in Paris on Friday for a summit on the Iran crisis, said the series of events was "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," he said. “Not only was I not told, no minister was told, and I’m absolutely furious about that.”
It is unclear what information came to light that meant Mr Mandelson failed his vetting, but all disclosures by individuals are highly restricted.
While Sir Olly’s sacking might take the sting out of the extraordinary revelations, many in Westminster are asking why a career civil servant would on his own initiative override the vetting specialists, then hide that decision from ministers.
It should also be noted that elected politicians, including cabinet ministers, are not subjected to vetting, although the security services will do discrete inquiries if they have concerns.
Mr Jones also disclosed that it had suspended the right for the Foreign Office to overrule recommendations from UK Security Vetting, the specialist unit charged with carrying out in-depth background checks for appointments to sensitive posts.
Mr Starmer is alongside French President Emmanuel Macron as he co-hosts a summit on reopening the Strait of Hormuz in Paris, with the pair expected to make a joint statement in the afternoon.
The Prime Minister’s appointment of the silver-tongued trade negotiator as his ambassador to the US was meant to strengthen Britain’s position in anticipation of a more transactional White House run by President Donald Trump. Instead, it’s become a millstone around Starmer’s neck, leading to repeated calls for him to step down since Bloomberg News exposed the depth of Mandelson’s relationship with Epstein in September.
Mr Starmer has instructed officials to establish the facts about why vetting was granted, and the foreign office said it is “working urgently” to comply.
