UK Prime Minister Starmer Faces Backlash Over Mandelson's Security Vetting

UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer is facing renewed criticism over the appointment of Peter Mandelson as ambassador to Washington, following reports that Mandelson failed security vetting due to his ties to late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

A government spokesperson denied that Starmer had any knowledge of the Foreign Office overriding the security recommendation regarding Mandelson, who was sacked in September after less than a year in the role over his links to Epstein.

The controversy deepened after UK newspaper The Guardian reported that Mandelson had initially been denied clearance in late January 2025 after a 'highly confidential background check by security officials', but that Starmer had already announced the appointment.

Opposition leaders accused Starmer of misleading Parliament and called for his resignation, with Kemi Badenoch, leader of the UK Conservative Party, saying Starmer had wrongly said Mandelson cleared the vetting.

The scandal over Mandelson's relationship with Epstein has already forced the resignation of two senior government officials and led to police opening an investigation into allegations of misconduct in office by Mandelson.