'Staggering' I was not told Mandelson failed vetting, says PM

Sir Keir Starmer has said it's "staggering" that he, as prime minister, was not told about Lord Peter Mandelson failing to pass initial security vetting checks.

The prime minister is facing calls to resign over the revelation that vetting officers recommended against Lord Mandelson's being appointed as US ambassador, but that recommendation was overruled by the Foreign Office.

Sir Olly Robbins, who was two weeks into the job heading up the Foreign Office at the time, was effectively sacked by Sir Keir last night.

Opposition parties are calling for Sir Keir to go, with Tory leader Kemi Badenoch saying the explanation so far is "completely preposterous" and "all roads lead to resignation".

At a press conference in Westminster, she said Sir Keir "cannot hope" to continue leading the country due to his "incompetence," accusing him of being "so blinded by his own righteousness that he cannot see what everybody else can see".

The Tory leader said she was "considering every parliamentary option" for removing the prime minister but called on Labour MPs to "do the right thing" and get rid of him.

"I do not have enough Conservatives MPs to win a vote of no confidence," she said.

"The people who can do that, who can make this happen are Labour MPs."

Lord Mandelson was announced as the UK's ambassador to the US in December 2024, before in-depth vetting had been carried out.

He formally took up the role in February 2025, and was sacked seven months later over his ties to the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

On Thursday, a Guardian investigation revealed Mandelson had been appointed despite failing initial vetting.

Later on Thursday evening, the government said no minister had been informed of that decision at the time, and the PM had only discovered it this week.

Speaking to journalists in Paris on Friday, Sir Keir said: "That I wasn't told that Peter Mandelson had failed security vetting when he was appointed is 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.

"Not only was I not told, no minister was told, and I'm absolutely furious about that.

"What I intend to do is to go to Parliament on Monday to set out all the relevant facts in true transparency, so Parliament has the full picture."

He added: "Number 10 was not told that he had failed security vetting - that is completely unacceptable."

Senior minister Darren Jones earlier said Sir Keir had not misled MPs when he said due process had been followed, and therefore would not be resigning.

Jones told BBC Radio 4's Today programme, there was no obligation in the rules for ministers to be told about security vetting decisions when Lord Mandelson was appointed, something he said he had now changed.

BBC News understands the United Kingdom Security Vetting service gave the Foreign Office an explicit recommendation not to approve Lord Mandelson's vetting.

It's understood that UKSV, which carried out the work on behalf of the Cabinet Office, presented the Foreign Office with a list of potential risks as well as a recommendation summing up those risks.

That recommendation can fall into one of three categories, described by sources as "yes", "yes with caveats" and "no".

Sources say the recommendation given to the Foreign Office by the vetting services was a "no".

The Foreign Office is believed to be the only government department in Whitehall with the authority to overrule such a recommendation.

Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey called for an investigation by the Privileges Committee, the same process used to hold Boris Johnson to account over the Partygate scandal, into whether Sir Keir intentionally misled Parliament.

Lib Dem Cabinet Office spokesperson Lisa Smart has written Sir Keir's ethics adviser Sir Laurie Magnus to urge him to investigate.

Foreign Affairs select committee chair Dame Emily Thornberry has invited Sir Olly to give evidence on Tuesday next week, the second time he will have been quizzed about his involvement in the Mandelson scandal.

Labour MP Dame Emily told Sky News: "Perhaps he can tell us… was it his own idea, or was he being leant on elsewhere?

"Or was he, being a civil servant, was he getting direction from elsewhere, and if so, by whom?"

Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar, on the campaign trail in Edinburgh, told journalists he stood by his call for Sir Keir to resign over the Mandelson scandal, saying there were questions for Downing Street and the UK Government to answer.

He said: "I stated my position, I stand by it, I don't recoil for it, the Mandelson scandal was the tipping point for me," adding he believed Lord Mandelson to be "a traitor to his party and country".

The SNP, Green Party and Reform UK have also called for Sir Keir to resign.

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