Starmer did not lie over Mandelson vetting scandal, minister says

Politics
17 Apr 2026 • 5:42 PM MYT
The Independent
The Independent

The world’s most free-thinking newspaper

Starmer did not lie over Mandelson vetting scandal, minister says

  • Sir Keir Starmer's Chief Secretary, Darren Jones, stated the Prime Minister did not lie to MPs and will not resign over the Lord Peter Mandelson scandal.
  • Mr Jones revealed Sir Keir was "furious" that the Foreign Office overruled security experts' recommendation against clearing Lord Mandelson for the UK ambassador to the US role, a fact the Prime Minister only learned this week.
  • The Foreign Office's top civil servant, Sir Olly Robbins, was effectively dismissed after the disclosure that officials overrode UK Security Vetting's advice.
  • Mr Jones has suspended the Foreign Office's and a "small number" of other organisations' right to overrule security vetting recommendations.
  • Opposition leaders, including Kemi Badenoch, Sir Ed Davey, the Green Party, and Reform UK, have called for Sir Keir's resignation, accusing him of dishonesty and misleading Parliament.

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