UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer is facing scrutiny after the Guardian reported on 16/4 that Peter Mandelson, a long-time Labour Party member, had failed a government security vetting process before his appointment as UK ambassador to the US in December 2024.

This information contradicts Prime Minister Starmer's statement to Parliament that "all standard procedures" had been followed during Mandelson's appointment, who took office as ambassador in February 2025.

7 months later, Mandelson was dismissed from this position when documents from a US House investigative committee revealed his ties to child sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein.

UK police opened an investigation into Mandelson for alleged misconduct while in office, including suspicion of leaking sensitive documents to Epstein, which included information related to the 2008 financial crisis. Mandelson was arrested in February and released on bail but has not yet commented on the allegations.

Prime Minister Starmer stated on 17/4 that he was only informed of the procedural error on 15/4, just before the information was released to the press. He said he was "extremely angry" not to have been informed that the decision to appoint Mandelson went against the recommendation from the UK Security Vetting (UKSV) to the UK Foreign Office.

He criticized the Foreign Office's failure to fully inform the Prime Minister as inexcusable and shocking, and pledged to disclose the full details to Parliament early next week.

The UK government stressed that Starmer and other ministers only learned early this week that the Foreign Office had made a different overall assessment of Mandelson. Senior Foreign Office official Olly Robbins was removed from his post due to his involvement.

UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer during a working visit to Cornwall, February 2025. Photo: Reuters

Prime Minister's Chief of Staff Darren Jones confirmed that UKSV had recommended against appointing Mandelson as ambassador to the US, but the UK Foreign Office ignored it. He considered this "surprising" but not illegal.

He also stated that no minister was informed of the security vetting results due to the sensitive nature of the information, including financial, personal data, and other private factors.

The opposition rejected this argument. Conservative Party leader Kemi Badenoch stated that the Prime Minister's ignorance of Mandelson's vetting process was "completely absurd," accusing Starmer of trying to "deceive the public."

If he cannot explain the Mandelson appointment process to Parliament, Prime Minister Starmer will face significant risks, as he campaigned on a promise to uphold the law and "drain the swamp," a term referring to efforts to clean up government and remove corrupt officials, according to Tim Bale, a politics professor at Queen Mary University of London.

"All roads for him lead to a resignation letter," Badenoch told the BBC.

A spokesperson for the UK Prime Minister's Office said Starmer has no intention of resigning following the new revelations in the Mandelson scandal.

By Thanh Danh (Reuters, Al Jazeera)