Opponents accuse Starmer of lying and incompetence, saying his position is no longer tenable
[1/4]Britain’s Prime Minister Keir Starmer leaves 10 Downing Street for the House of Commons where he is expected to make a statement on the vetting process for Peter Mandelson’s appointment as British Ambassador to the United States, in London, Britain, April 20, 2026. REUTERSBritish Prime Minister Keir Starmer addresses parliament on Monday, facing calls to resign over the despatch of senior Labour party veteran Peter Mandelson as ambassador to the United States, even though he had failed a vetting process.
Mandelson, 72, was sacked in September after revelations about the depth of his ties to the late US sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, and Starmer apologised for appointing him in the first place.
But the government said last week it had found out that Mandelson had failed a security vetting process carried out before he took up his post in February 2025, heaping pressure on Starmer, whose popularity has sunk since he won a huge majority for Labour at a national election in 2024.
Starmer, who had previously told parliament all due process had been followed over Mandelson, has said it was unforgivable that he was not told about the vetting failure until last week. Top foreign ministry official Olly Robbins was subsequently sacked.
Starmer said he would “set out the relevant facts” to lawmakers on Monday, while Robbins is due to give evidence to a parliamentary committee on Tuesday.
Opponents have accused Starmer of lying and incompetence, and say his position is no longer tenable.
Three weeks before local elections in which Labour is expected to suffer heavy losses, the resurgence of the scandal has triggered new questions about Starmer’s grip on government, although no senior Labour lawmakers have urged him to go.
Asked on Monday whether he expected Starmer to lead Labour into the next national election, Scotland Minister Douglas Alexander said: “I think he will lead, and I think he should.”
But he told Sky News: “I think that there are rightfully and reasonably important questions that need to be answered today.”
Opponents say Starmer at fault over Mandelson
Ed Davey, the Liberal Democrats’ leader, said Starmer had shown “catastrophic misjudgement”. Kemi Badenoch, leader of the main opposition Conservative Party, said he had at best been recklessly negligent.
“This has been a tawdry and shaming affair for you and your party, and for this country,” she said in an open letter sent on Sunday.
“Not only have you damaged our relationship with the United States and insulted the victims of the paedophile Jeffrey Epstein, but you have also undermined our national security by giving the highest diplomatic post to an individual that the security services found to be of ‘high concern’.”
Deputy Prime Minister David Lammy and technology minister Liz Kendall both said at the weekend that Starmer would not have allowed Mandelson to take up his post if he had known about the vetting failure.
