British PM says 'furious' after fresh revelations over sacked US envoy
Britain's Prime Minister Keir Starmer speaks during a press conference at Downing Street in London on Apr 1, 2026. (Photo: Pool via AP)
LONDON: United Kingdom Prime Minister Keir Starmer said on Friday (Apr 17) he was "furious" after it emerged his sacked United States ambassador Peter Mandelson was appointed despite failing security vetting, as the scandal again threatens his hold on power.
The beleaguered British leader, who has been dogged for months by the controversy, claimed he and other ministers were not told Mandelson had failed the vetting process, branding that "unforgivable".
Starmer has faced repeated calls to quit since his 2024 decision to appoint Mandelson as Britain's top diplomat in Washington backfired spectacularly over the envoy's longstanding ties to late US sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
Starmer sacked Mandelson in September, just seven months after taking up his post.
A longtime insider with the ruling centre-left Labour party, Mandelson had held multiple ministerial posts since the late 1990s, but was tarred by repeated scandals, which earlier twice forced him out of office.
"That I wasn't told that he had failed (security vetting) when I was telling parliament that due process had been followed is unforgivable," Starmer told broadcasters on Friday during a visit to Paris.
"Not only was I not told, no minister was told, and I'm absolutely furious about that," he said, adding he would address parliament on Monday "to set out all the relevant facts in true transparency".
TOP OFFICIALS FIRED
Starmer's government has blamed Foreign Office officials for allowing Mandelson's appointment to proceed "against the recommendation of UK Security Vetting", with the ministry's top civil servant, Olly Robbins, ousted late on Thursday.
The prime minister had "lost confidence in him" over the botched process, senior minister Darren Jones said.
Parliament's main foreign affairs watchdog committee said on Friday it has requested Robbins give evidence about the issue next Tuesday.
Despite the government's stance, The Independent newspaper reported last September on "serious concerns" that Mandelson "did not clear security vetting for the role but the prime minister pushed through his appointment anyway".
Five months later, Starmer insisted publicly that Mandelson had passed vetting.
Calls for the UK leader to resign have intensified, with the leaders of all the UK's main opposition parties urging him to quit since The Guardian first reported the security vetting story on Thursday.
Conservative Party leader Kemi Badenoch wrote on X that "Starmer has betrayed our national security. He should go".
Jones denied Starmer was at risk, claiming "the public can see in Keir Starmer that they have a strong, credible leader who has influence on the world stage".
The ambassador to Washington is seen as Britain's most prestigious and most important diplomatic post, in charge of nurturing the so-called "special relationship" with the United States.
Earlier in the year, two of Starmer's top political aides resigned as the scandal grew.
Listen:
POLICE PROBE
Starmer himself has faced repeated judgement questions over selecting Mandelson.
He has accused the ex-envoy of lying about the extent of his ties to Epstein during the vetting process.
Starmer fired Mandelson as ambassador after documents released by a US Congressional committee revealed new details about the depth of his ties to Epstein.
Police have now opened an investigation into allegations of misconduct in office by Mandelson, who was arrested and released on bail in February.
He has not been charged and denies criminal wrongdoing.
The force is investigating Mandelson over allegations he leaked sensitive documents to Epstein when he was a government minister, including during the 2008 financial crash.
The advice submitted to Starmer in December 2024 noted a series of reports detailing Mandelson's links with Epstein, who was convicted of sex crimes in Florida in 2008, including soliciting a minor.
It said their relationship "continued across 2009 to 2011", beginning when Mandelson was a government minister and continuing after the UK's last Labour government ended in 2010.
It also noted that Mandelson "reportedly stayed in Epstein's house while he was in jail in June 2009".
Lawmakers earlier this year ordered the Labour government to release tens of thousands of emails, messages and documents detailing how Mandelson was vetted for the role.
The second tranche of documents is expected to be released in the coming weeks.
