Badenoch slams Starmer’s ‘preposterous’ claims about Mandelson vetting failure

Politics
18 Apr 2026 • 1:08 AM MYT
The Independent
The Independent

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  • Sir Keir Starmer is facing accusations of a "cover-up" after denying prior knowledge of Peter Mandelson's failed security vetting for the US ambassador role.
  • Sir Keir insists he only found out about the vetting failure this week, expressing anger that he and other ministers were not informed sooner.
  • The Independent approached Downing Street, specifically Sir Keir's then-director of communications, Tim Allen, about the vetting concerns in September.
  • Kemi Badenoch, the Tory leader, dismissed Sir Keir's denial as "preposterous", suggesting he either lied to Parliament or is incompetent, and called for his resignation.
  • There are demands for a binding parliamentary vote to release all documents related to Mandelson's appointment and for Sir Olly Robbins, who allegedly overrode security officials, to give evidence.

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