Prime Minister Keir Starmer remains embroiled in controversy after revealing he was not informed that Peter Mandelson failed a key security vetting check before being appointed ambassador to the United States. On Friday Starmer said he was “furious” that neither he nor any minister had been told about the failed vetting, calling the omission “staggering.” He pledged to lay out the full facts to Parliament on Monday in the name of transparency.
The dispute centres on Mandelson’s long-standing relationship with Jeffrey Epstein, the convicted sex offender and disgraced financier. That friendship was widely known and had long made Mandelson a controversial choice for the Washington role; the issue has since escalated into a political crisis that threatens Starmer’s leadership.
The fallout has already claimed a senior official: Olly Robbins resigned on Thursday as the Foreign Office’s top civil servant. Darren Jones, the prime minister’s chief secretary, said the Foreign Office had sidelined the intelligence community. He explained that security vetting covers financial, personal, sexual, religious and other areas, and that vetting records are held on a highly restricted portal.
Starmer has defended the process, insisting “due process” was followed in the appointment. Mandelson, a former EU trade commissioner, was seen as someone experienced enough to handle relations with US President Donald Trump. Mandelson took up the ambassadorial role in February 2025, days after Trump returned to the White House, and initially helped negotiate a special trade arrangement amid broader US tariff actions. He was dismissed six months later after the extent of his ties to Epstein became public.
Documents released to Parliament in March — after pressure from MPs — showed warning signs that critics say were overlooked before Mandelson’s appointment. A February release by the US Department of Justice further detailed the Epstein–Mandelson connection. Mandelson is also accused of having shared sensitive UK government information with Epstein in 2009, when he served under Prime Minister Gordon Brown.
Mandelson was arrested on February 23 on suspicion of misconduct in public office; he denies any wrongdoing and has not been accused of sexual offences.
Opposition leaders have intensified calls for Starmer to consider his position. Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch dismissed his explanation as “completely preposterous,” saying the account did not add up and urging resignation. Liberal Democrat leader Ed Davey said Starmer “must go” if it is proved he misled the public or Parliament.
Edited by Wesley Dockery