Keir Starmer told the House of Commons he was not informed that Peter Mandelson had failed developed security vetting before being appointed as the UK’s ambassador to the US. Starmer said Foreign Office officials overruled United Kingdom Security Vetting (UKSV), granting clearance despite a specific recommendation to deny it, and that the decision — and the failed checks themselves — were not passed on to him or other senior ministers.
Starmer said he first learned last Tuesday evening that on 29 January 2025 Foreign Office staff had approved developed vetting clearance for Mandelson even though UKSV had recommended refusal. He told MPs the information had not been shared with him, Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper, her predecessor Deputy Prime Minister David Lammy, former Cabinet Secretary Sir Chris Wormald, or other ministers. Starmer added the omission continued even after Mandelson was sacked and during early stages of the resulting scandal, when some official statements suggested he had passed vetting.
“I should not have appointed Peter Mandelson,” Starmer said in the Commons. “I take responsibility for that decision. And I apologize again to the victims of pedophile Jeffrey Epstein, who were clearly failed by my decision.” He said that had he known about the failed developed vetting checks, he would not have sent Mandelson to Washington.
Mandelson was appointed in December 2024 and was dismissed in September after further details emerged about his relationship with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. He later resigned from the Labour Party and the House of Lords and is under criminal investigation over alleged misconduct in public office stretching back nearly two decades. The controversy has placed sustained pressure on Starmer’s government ahead of important local and regional elections in May. Several senior officials and civil servants have been dismissed during the fallout, but Starmer and his cabinet have remained in place.
Starmer said his concern increased in February when, despite the scale of the allegations and the criminal probe, no red flags appeared to have been raised by Mandelson. He ordered an internal review of UKSV procedures and said it was staggering that no one had told him Mandelson had failed the checks at that stage. His remarks prompted audible reactions in the chamber; he said it “beggars belief” that Foreign Office officials withheld the information from the most senior ministers.
Opposition politicians demanded answers. Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch said Starmer’s reputation was on the line and framed the episode as a national security issue, claiming the government’s explanation had grown murkier. Liberal Democrat leader Ed Davey compared the turmoil to the final years of former prime minister Boris Johnson and criticised Starmer for apparently not probing vetting procedures more closely. Reform UK MP Lee Anderson was ejected from the Commons after accusing Starmer of lying and refusing to withdraw the allegation when challenged by the Speaker.
Peter Mandelson, 72, has been a high-profile figure in British politics since the early 1990s as a strategist, communications director and minister in Tony Blair and Gordon Brown’s governments. His roles have included Business Secretary, First Secretary of State and European Commissioner for Trade from 2004 to 2008. He has resigned before amid controversy — notably in 1998 over an undisclosed loan and in 2001 over passport-related allegations — and has faced criticism over perceived ties to Russia and China. Although his connections to Jeffrey Epstein have been scrutinised, Mandelson has not been accused of sexual misconduct.