The prime minister is “furious” that he was not told Lord Peter Mandelson had failed security vetting and said he will “set out the relevant facts” in parliament on Monday.
Sir Keir Starmer has come under further pressure over Lord Mandelson’s appointment as ambassador to the US after it was revealed the Foreign Office overruled security vetting.
He is facing calls to resign and follow in the footsteps of Sir Olly Robbins, the Foreign Office’s most senior civil servant, who was confirmed to be leaving his role on Thursday over the revelations.
Sir Keir has previously insisted due process was followed in the appointment, and that Lord Mandelson had lied about the extent of his links with paedophile financier Jeffrey Epstein.
On Friday, he 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.”
Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch is leading the calls for Sir Keir’s resignation, saying: “If he has misled parliament, as it looks like he has, he should resign.”
Key points
- Exclusive: No10 knew Mandelson failed security vetting seven months ago
- Starmer is 'furious' he wasn't told about vetting
- Farage accuses Starmer of using sacked civil servant as ‘sacrificial lamb’
- PM facing calls to resign
- Starmer will not resign over latest Mandelson furore, minister insists
Exclusive: No10 knew Mandelson failed security vetting seven months ago
11:15 , Harriette BoucherThe Independent’s Political Editor David Maddox has the story:
Downing Street knew Peter Mandelson had failed security vetting for the US ambassador role seven months ago – when concerns were first raised with No10 by The Independent.
This publication revealed on 11 September last year that MI6 had failed to clear the Labour peer, largely because of concerns over his business links to China.
Those concerns were put to No10, but the then-director of communications, Tim Allen, insisted: “Vetting done by FCDO [Foreign and Commonwealth Office] in normal way”.
Now, Downing Street is attempting to claim that Sir Keir was only made aware of the issue this week when documents detailing his appointment came to light.
The prime minister has said it was “staggering” and “unforgivable” that he had not been told earlier, adding he was "furious".
No10 knew Mandelson failed security vetting seven months ago
The most disturbing detail hidden in the Mandelson files
11:14 , Harriette Boucher“How can you miss something like that?”
The 147-page ‘Mandelson files’ have laid bare how clearly Keir Starmer was warned about Peter Mandelson’s ties to Jeffrey Epstein. But the documents also raise other questions about what’s going on inside No 10.
In this clip from the latest episode of In The Room, last month, Helen and Cleo point out one very specific, incorrect, and “horrible” bit of wording.
Starmer repeatedly denies he was told Mandelson had failed security vettings
11:13 , Harriette BoucherThe Independent’s Political Reporter Athena Stavrou reports:
Sir Keir Starmer has been facing tough questions about his claims he was not told that Lord Peter Mandelson had failed security vetting - and what it means for his leadership.
Speaking to broadcasters on Friday, the prime minister was adamant he had not been told that Foreign Office officials had overruled security service advice when he appointed Mandelson as US ambassador.
Asked if it was believable that a senior civil servant would make this decision on a political appointee alone, Sir Keir insisted: “I was not told that he had failed security vetting. No minister was told that he had failed security vetting. Number 10 wasn't told that it failed security vetting.”
Asked if the latest revelations showed he did not have a grip on his government, he said: “I was not told that security betting had failed. That is shocking. It is unacceptable, and I intend to set out the full facts to parliament on Monday.”
Scottish Labour leader repeats his call for Starmer to resign saying 'I stand by my position'
11:12 , Harriette BoucherThe Independent’s Whitehall Editor Kate Devlin reports:
Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar, speaking as he campaigned in Edinburgh for the Scottish Parliament election, said the scandal around Lord Mandelson was the "tipping point" which led to his earlier call for Sir Keir Starmer to quit.
Asked if he thought the Prime Minister had misled Parliament about vetting, Mr Sarwar told the Press Association: "These are questions that of course have to be answered by Downing Street - in the Parliament and also in any appropriate parliamentary committees."
But he added: "I stated my position back in February, I stand by my position, I don't recoil from it. And many people will know that the Mandelson scandal was the tipping point for me."
Starmer 'furious' he wasn't told about vetting
11:05 , Harriette BoucherKeir Starmer has said he is “furious” and it was “unforgivable” that neither he nor any minister was told Lord Peter Mandelson had failed security vetting, and he will “set out the relevant facts” in parliament on Monday.
The prime minister said it was "staggering" and "unforgivable" that he had not been told Lord Mandelson had failed security vetting, adding he was "furious".
“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."
Labour MP plays down latest Mandelson revelations
10:44 , Harriette BoucherThe Independent’s political journalist Athena Stavrou reports:
As their leader fights once again for his political life over the latest revelations about Lord Peter Mandelson’s appointment as US ambassador, some Labour MPs are trying to play down the furore.
Patrick Hurley, the Labour MP for Southport, told Sky News it was “a big fuss over nothing”.
“Olly Robbins isn’t even a household name in his own household, and the general public will be utterly bemused that this has come up again in the media discourse,” he said.
"The idea that the prime minister will be forced out over the appointment of someone to an ambassadorial role is like something out of a bad US sitcom that gets cancelled after three shows.”
'Starmer has run out of fall guys, he must do the decent thing and resign', SNP leader says
10:29 , Harriette BoucherThe prime minister should “do the decent thing and resign”, the SNP leader has said.
"The resignation of Olly Robbins does not get the prime minister off the hook - it only raises more questions," Stephen Flynn said.
"Keir Starmer has run out of excuses, and fall guys, to blame for his own bad judgment and incompetence. He should do the decent thing and resign - before he is forced out."
It follows his post on social media last night, in which he wrote: “The Prime Minister is either incompetent, gullible or a liar. Or all three.”
Labour MPs fury over Mandelson scandal
10:21 , Harriette BoucherThe Independent’s Whitehall Editor Kate Devlin reports:
Labour MPs are angry over the latest Mandelson scandal engulfing their government.
On the claims that Keir Starmer did not know that his appointment as US ambassador had failed vetting, one Labour MP told The Independent: “Clearly he should have been aware. Either he wasn't told, which is his problem for not asking, or he was told and he ignored it....”
Another said of his fellow Labour MPs: “I think combined with the likely local election losses, there will be a growing post-May sense that loyalty increasingly looks like complicity.”
Where is Keir Starmer today?
10:10 , Harriette BoucherThe prime minister is currently making his way to Paris to co-host a meeting with Emmanuel Macron later today, as he faces calls for his resignation back home.
Keir Starmer and the French president will address a “global responsibility” to open the Strait of Hormuz and support the fragile ceasefire in the region.
Around 40 countries are expected to join the summit, which will begin later today.
He is expected to give a statement alongside Macron at around 4.15pm.
Starmer criticised for not addressing the Commons sooner
09:51 , Harriette BoucherThe Independent’s political journalist Athena Stavrou reports:
Sir Keir Starmer’s decision not to deliver a statement to the House of Commons on the latest Lord Peter Mandelson revelation has become a point of criticism for political opposition.
The prime minister was told on Tuesday evening that Foreign Office officials had decided to overrule a recommendation from the security service on Lord Mandelson’s clearance to become US ambassador.
Chief secretary to the prime minister Darren Jones said Sir Keir had decided to wait to get the “full facts” on the matter before addressing the house, which he said had not happened before the House rose for the weekend on Thursday.
But Kemi Badenoch said Sir Keir has breached the ministerial code by failing to notify Parliament that he had told it “something that isn’t true” at the earliest opportunity.
“The earliest opportunity was Wednesday, during Prime Minister’s Questions, why didn’t he tell anyone that?,” she told the BBC.
“If it is true that they only just found out, they had an opportunity to say so, and they did not. That itself is a resignation offence.”
Not possible No10 didn't know about failed vetting, says Abbott
09:49 , Harriette BoucherDiane Abbot said Keir Starmer must “consider his position”, as she claims “it is not possible” that Downing Street did not know that Peter Mandelson failed security vetting.
“That’s not how the civil service works,” she told Sky News.
The MP for Hackney North who is currently sitting as an independent, said: “There must have been political clearance and No 10 would have known.
“It's just not possible that Number 10 didn't know. I think to try and pretend Number 10 didn't know, when anybody who follows those issues would know that that can't be true, is the kind of thing that undermines people's faith in politics.”
Senior Labour MP expects Starmer to make statement today
09:44 , Harriette BoucherA senior Labour MP expects Starmer to make a statement today in order to “dampen down” speculation and provide transparency.
Speaking to Times Radio, Jo White said: “I’m sure we want to dampen down the speculation and the stories that come out in the weekend press. So I’m hoping that he will make a statement. But what he needs to do is come to the House of Commons and be questioned by his peers.
“I think what every Labour MP is asking for today is absolute transparency and we want that information now. We cannot make assumptions or presume anything right now. We need as much information as possible... I want that information to come fast. I’m hoping that we get it very, very quickly.”
Badenoch says Starmer breached ministerial code after keeping quiet about Mandelson revelations at PMQ's
09:37 , Harriette BoucherKeir Starmer breached the ministerial code by failing to notify parliament that he had told it “something that isn't true” at the earliest opportunity, Kemi Badenoch has said.
The Tory leader told BBC: “Let's pretend that they only just found out about this, the ministerial code says that if you find out that you have told parliament something that isn't true, and you told parliament inadvertently, you need to tell the House at the earliest opportunity.
“The earliest opportunity was Wednesday, during Prime Minister's Questions, why didn't he tell anyone that?
“If it is true that they only just found out, they had an opportunity to say so, and they did not. That itself is a resignation offence.”
Mandelson files deconstructed: How 147 pages add up to very little
09:33 , Harriette BoucherIn this clip from the latest episode of In The Room last week, Helen and Cleo report back after combing through the first Mandelson file drop, page by page – and find it coming up rather short.
From entirely blank pages to mysteriously unfilled forms, there’s a lot left to be desired from the files released by the government. Fortunately, there’s no one better placed to completely pick them apart than certified civil service nerd (and ex-deputy cabinet secretary) Helen MacNamara.
Starmer's chief of staff had previously advised against appointing someone due to failed vetting process, former aide says
09:20 , Harriette BoucherTheresa May’s former aide said that while he was in Downing Street, Sue Gray, who was later Starmer’s chief of staff, had advised against appointing someone because of a failed vetting.
“When I was in No10, somebody failed developed vetting before their proposed appointment to a sensitive post,” Nick Timothy, the shadow justice secretary said.
“We were told immediately, and were advised - correctly - that this person could not be appointed.
“Who gave that advice? Sue Gray - later Starmer’s chief of staff.”
Who was Olly Robbins? The top civil servant ousted over Mandelson vetting row
09:14 , Harriette BoucherSir Olly Robbins, the Foreign Office’s most senior civil servant, left his role yesterday following revelations about Lord Peter Mandelson’s vetting process.
The civil servant was appointed in January last year, a month after Mandelson’s appointment had been confirmed, but a month before he took up post.
It is understood that Sir Keir Starmer and foreign secretary Yvette Cooper have expressed a loss of confidence in Sir Olly, the permanent under-secretary.
Sir Olly came from a role in a global strategic advisory firm, where he was partner and head of Europe, Middle East and Africa at Hakluyt.
He has previously worked at Goldman Sachs and also held senior leadership roles in the Cabinet Office, HM Treasury, Downing Street and as the Second Permanent Secretary in the Home Office and Permanent Secretary in the Department for Exiting the European Union.
At the time of his appointment, David Lammy said: “I have set out from day one that I want to rewire the FCDO to act as the international delivery arm of this government’s missions, as well as devising our broader international strategy.
“Olly Robbins is exactly the person to help me deliver this and I am delighted to welcome him into the FCDO.”
Can Starmer survive this?
09:01 , Harriette BoucherAnalysis by Whitehall Editor Kate Devlin:
The appointment of Peter Mandelson as US ambassador was supposed to solve problems for Keir Starmer - allowing a Prime Minister critics claim is not political enough to have a highly political ally in Washington dealing with a difficult White House.
But, not for the first time, the decision has put the PM’s job in peril.
The government's official line this morning is that the latest scandal is a “failure of state”.
And so the chief Mandarin at the foreign office has been fired.
Another defence of Sir Keir is that the public need a credible leader in a time of war.
It would be extraordinary if Sir Keir was forced out at such a movement of global instability and before next month’s local elections, widely expected to be disastrous for Labour.
But the anger of Labour MPs over the Mandelson scandal cannot be underestimated.
And blaming the state does not get around a fundamental problem for the Prime Minister - even if he did not know, he should have.
How do dodgy political appointments like Mandelson actually happen?
08:52 , Harriette BoucherHow do unwise political appointments, of all shapes and sizes, happen? In this In The Room clip from last month, former deputy cabinet secretary Helen MacNamara and ex-No 10 adviser Cleo Watson discuss the (not always perfect) process behind vetting.
Why was Peter Mandelson arrested and what is his history with Labour and Starmer?
08:43 , Harriette Boucher
Why was Peter Mandelson arrested?
The day must end with Starmer resigning, says Polanksi
08:39 , Harriette BoucherThere is no way today should end without Keir Starmer’s resignation, the Green Party leader has stated.
Zach Polanksi said: “Any other outcome would an absurd scenario where this Labour Government - and all in it - would be laughing in our faces.
“The ethics and morality are it are an important question. Just as vital and urgent is the fact it's all such a distraction.
“We have sky high bills and an energy crisis - we need to end Rip Off Britain. All attention needs to be on a Government capable of doing the basics.”
Farage accuses Starmer of using sacked civil servant as ‘sacrificial lamb’
08:35 , Harriette BoucherThe Independent’s political journalist Athena Stavrou reports:
Nigel Farage has accused the prime minister of using a top civil servant as a “sacrificial lamb” in an attempt to save his own position.
The Foreign Office’s top civil servant Sir Olly Robbins was effectively sacked after the revelation that officials took the rare step of overruling the recommendation from UK Security Vetting to clear Lord Peter Mandelson.
But the Reform UK leader suggested “there is no way” Sir Olly would have overruled security service advice alone, describing him as “one of the most professional civil servants in this country”.
“They are all over the place on this, it is totally unbelievable and Robbins, he’s the sacrificial lamb in an attempt to try and save the prime minister, and it just isn’t good enough,” Mr Farage told LBC.
He called for a “full-scale investigation” into the matter, and added the government’s explanation is: “Just not credible, not believable in any way at all. I am in absolutely no doubt in my mind that this prime minister misled the House of Commons and lied to the country outside of the House of Commons.”
Badenoch: Everyone involved in Mandelson scandal is gone - except Starmer
08:33 , Harriette BoucherKemi Badenoch has said everyone involved in the Mandelson scandal is now except for Starmer, as she calls for him to resign.
In a post on social media, the Tory leader wrote: “Keir Starmer has now sacked everyone involved in Mandelson’s appointment - Chris Wormald, Morgan McSweeney, Olly Robbins.
“But Starmer was ultimately the one who approved it. He’s got no one left to sack. It’s time for him to take responsibility. He should go.”
'I know he is lying’: Badenoch accuses Starmer of ‘taking us for fools’ over Mandelson vetting scandal
08:30 , Harriette BoucherThe Independent’s political journalist Athena Stavrou reports:
Kemi Badenoch has accused the prime minister of continuous lying over the decision to appoint Lord Peter Mandelson as US ambassador.
The Conservative Party leader said Sir Keir Starmer’s story “does not stack up” as she accused him of “taking us for fools”.
She argued it is "completely preposterous" that the prime minister had not been told that Lord Mandelson's clearance had not been advised by security service.
“It doesn't matter what story the prime minister is telling, at some point there is deliberate dishonesty, whether it's the cover up story or the original story,” she told LBC.
“It can't all be true. That's why I know that he is lying.”
Top civil servant is the 'sacrificial lamb', says Farage
08:22 , Harriette BoucherNigel Farage said Olly Robbins, the Foreign Office's top civil servant, was the "sacrificial lamb in an attempt to try and save the Prime Minister".
He told LBC: “None of this adds up, the idea they weren't told about the vetting.
“Remember, in the House of Commons, Starmer actually said that the vetting had told him about the ongoing relationship with Jeffrey Epstein, then outside of the House, in Hastings, he gave a speech in which he said that Mandelson had cleared security vetting.
“They are all over the place on this, it is totally unbelievable and Robbins, he's the sacrificial lamb in an attempt to try and save the Prime Minister, and it just isn't good enough.”
Starmer was right to say Mandelson passed vetting procedures, says Jones
08:18 , Harriette BoucherKeir Starmer was right to say Peter Mandelson had cleared security vetting procedures when he had been asked previously, Darren Jones has said.
“The Prime Minister was right... because the security and vetting process had been conducted and the Foreign Office granted what's called developed vetting status to allow for Peter Mandelson's appointment, so he had been through the process and he had been cleared by the Foreign Office to start the role, so the prime minister was right about that,” he told BBC.
“What the prime minister was not told until Tuesday evening this week was that the Foreign Office's decision to give that developed vetting status, and to appoint Peter Mandelson as ambassador, was against the recommendations of security and vetting officials.”
Today's front pages lead with Mandelson security vetting crisis
08:16 , Harriette Boucher
PM ‘furious with the state’ over Mandelson vetting
08:10 , Harriette BoucherThe Independent’s political journalist Athena Stavrou reports:
Sir Keir Starmer is “furious” after discovering the Foreign Office overruled security advice on Lord Peter Mandelson over his appointment as US ambassador.
Chief secretary to the prime minister Darren Jones denied the prime minister misled parliament over the former Labour peer’s security clearance, but said he was “furious with the state” over the process.
Mr Jones said Sir Keir discovered the Foreign Office had ignored the security advice recommending Lord Mandelson should not be appointed to the role in Washington.
“It is utterly unacceptable, not just in the individual case of Peter Mandelson and respect of the prime minister’s fury at the Foreign Office for not having taught him this information, but the very fact that their processes were in place that allow for that to happen in the first place,” he told Sky News.
“That’s why in my role in the Cabinet Office, immediately last night, I suspended the rights for these organisations to make these judgments.
“I’ve asked for an urgent review about what decisions these organisations have taken in the past to overrule the recommendations from UK security vetting, and I was due to announce a broader, independent review of the vetting process anyway. And this will now be part of that.”
Top Foreign Office official sacked after Mandelson vetting dispute
08:06 , Harriette Boucher
Foreign Office chief Olly Robbins to leave role after Mandelson vetting row
Starmer was 'right' to say due process had been followed 'because it had'
08:04 , Harriette BoucherKeir Starmer was “right” to tell parliament that due process had been followed throughout Lord Peter Mandelson's appointment as ambassador, "because it had", Darren Jones said.
The chief secretary told BBC: “The prime minister was right when he told the House that due process had been followed, because it had, but the fact that that process did not require officials to tell the Foreign Secretary or the prime minster that they ignored the advice of security and vetting officials is totally unacceptable.”
Mandelson had access to top secret documents despite failing vetting process
07:58 , Harriette BoucherPeter Mandelson would have been able to see top secret documents during his time as UK ambassador to the US, the chief secretary to the prime minister has admitted.
Darren Jones told Sky News: “The Foreign Office granted developing vetting status to appoint him as ambassador. That meant that he would be allowed, as a point of principle, to see the documents you would need to see as ambassador.”
He said he could not confirm in an “itemised way” which “individual documents did he see or not see”.
Starmer will not resign over latest Mandelson furore, minister insists
07:56 , Harriette BoucherThe Independent’s political journalist Athena Stavrou reports:
Sir Keir Starmer has not considered resigning and will not step down from his position, a government minister has insisted.
Chief secretary to the prime minister Darren Jones said that his Labour colleagues are not reconsidering Sir Keir as their leader - despite yet more facts coming to light about Lord Peter Mandelson’s ill-considered appointment as US ambassador.
Asked whether the prime minister will resign or if he had considered his resignation, Mr Jones told the BBC: “No.”
“The Foreign Office was allowed to overrule the recommendation from UK security vetting to not appoint Peter Mandelson to the role of ambassador to the United States,” he added.
“When the Foreign Office overruled that recommendation, it granted what's called developed vetting status, which allowed for Peter Manderson to be appointed.”
'Beyond unacceptable' to overrule Mandelson vetting process
07:51 , Harriette BoucherIt is “beyond unacceptable” that the Foreign Office was able to overrule a security vetting process to clear Lord Peter Mandelson to become UK ambassador to the US and rules have been changed to prevent it happening, Darren Jones said.
The Chief Secretary to the prime minister said Keir Starmer was "furious" at the situation but denied the premier had misled parliament over the Mandelson scandal.
The Foreign Office's top civil servant Sir Olly Robbins was effectively sacked after the revelation that officials took the rare step of overruling the recommendation from UK Security Vetting.
Mr Jones told LBC Radio: “Given the nature of the problem here, not just in terms of the appointment, but the position that it has put the Prime Minister and Cabinet ministers in as a consequence of the decision to overrule the recommendation of UK Security Vetting, and the fact that the system even allowed for that to happen in the first place, it's of a scale of a problem that we've not experienced in government before.
“It is beyond unacceptable.”
Mr Jones said he had suspended the ability of the Foreign Office and a "small number" of other organisations to overrule recommendations by UK Security Vetting.
Starmer 'furious with the state' over revelations
07:47 , Harriette BoucherThe prime minister is “furious with the state” because the Foreign Office was able to overrule the vetting process fo Peter Mandelson, his chief secretary said.
Speaking to Sky News, Darren Jones said Keir Starmer had ordered an urgent review after discovering that the Foreign Office and other Government departments ignored security advice when appointing people to sensitive roles.
“It is utterly unacceptable, not just in the individual case of Peter Mandelson and respect of the Prime Minister's fury at the Foreign Office for not having taught him this information, but the very fact that their processes were in place that allow for that to happen in the first place.
"That's why in my role in the Cabinet Office, immediately last night, I suspended the rights for these organisations to make these judgments.
“I've asked for an urgent review about what decisions these organisations have taken in the past to overrule the recommendations from UK security vetting, and I was due to announce a broader, independent review of the vetting process anyway. And this will now be part of that.”
PM facing calls to resign
07:44 , Harriette BoucherThe prime minister is facing calls from opposition parties to resign after it was revealed that the Foreign Office overruled security vetting for Lord Peter Mandelson's appointment as UK ambassador to the US.
Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch on Thursday said: “It is preposterous for Starmer to claim he did not know Mandelson failed security vetting.
“If the Prime Minister doesn’t know what’s happening in his own office, he shouldn’t be in charge of our country. He should go.”
Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey said: “If this is true, the PM should’ve told Parliament at the earliest opportunity, not waited for the media to force the truth out.
“His failure to do that alone is surely a breach of the Ministerial Code.”
The Green Party and Reform UK have also now called for Sir Keir to resign.
