Prime Minister Keir Starmer has expressed fury after learning that Peter Mandelson failed security vetting for the role of US ambassador, a fact he claims was kept from him. Speaking in Paris, Starmer said it was 'unforgivable' and 'staggering' that he was not told, adding that he would set out the relevant facts to Parliament on Monday.
The controversy erupted after a Guardian investigation revealed that the UK Security Vetting team recommended against granting Mandelson developed vetting clearance, but the Foreign Office overruled this decision. Starmer insisted no minister was informed, and he is now commissioning a retired high court judge to review the vetting process and the wider national security system.
Opposition leaders have seized on the revelations. Tory leader Kemi Badenoch accused Starmer of lying, stating, 'The only other alternative is that he is so grossly incompetent he has no idea what is going on.' SNP Westminster leader Stephen Flynn called on the prime minister to resign, while Plaid Cymru's Rhun ap Iorwerth criticised Welsh First Minister Eluned Morgan for staying silent.
Liberal Democrats have asked Starmer's ethics adviser to investigate whether he breached the ministerial code by failing to correct Parliament 'at the earliest opportunity'. Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar said the scandal was the 'tipping point' that led him to call for Starmer to step down. However, former Labour leader Neil Kinnock insisted Starmer would not quit, describing the affair as a 'horror show' but stressing the party must focus on the country's welfare.
