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Starmer would have blocked Mandelson role over vetting failure, says Lammy

Deputy prime minister says it is ‘inexplicable’ top civil servant kept Downing Street in dark Keir Starmer would have blocked Peter Mandelson from serving as the UK’s ambassador to Washington had he known he failed… Grouped from 5 articles across 2 sources.

5 reports2 sourcesApr 18, 2026, 6:44 PM
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Clustered coverageThe Globe and Mail, The Guardian
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The GuardianApr 18, 2026, 6:44 PM

Starmer would have blocked Mandelson role over vetting failure, says Lammy

Deputy prime minister says it is ‘inexplicable’ top civil servant kept Downing Street in dark Keir Starmer would have blocked Peter Mandelson from serving as the UK’s ambassador to Washington had he known he failed security vetting , David Lammy has said, as he attempted to shore up the prime minister amid damaging fallout from the row. In his first public comments on the vetting affair, Lammy said it was “inexplicable” that Oliver Robbins, the former top civil servant who was forced out of the Foreign Office this week, had opted to leave Downing Street in the dark over the outcome. Continue reading...

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The Globe and MailApr 17, 2026, 3:08 PM

U.K.'s Starmer says 'staggering' he was not told of Mandelson vetting failure

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said on Friday it was 'staggering' that he had not been told that former ambassador to the United States Peter Mandelson had failed his security vetting.

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The GuardianApr 17, 2026, 3:13 PM

Starmer says it is ‘staggering’ and ‘unforgivable’ he was not told Mandelson failed vetting – UK politics live

PM responds to Guardian revelations that Foreign Office overrode failed security vetting for former minister Olly Robbins forced out in Mandelson vetting row Jones repeatedly denied that the prime minister had given a misleading impression about what has happened and had “lost grip” of the situation. He told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme: I completely refute the suggestion the PM misled the public or the House of Commons. It’s very clear from his words he was reporting what he had been told and what had been followed. I don’t think this is a question about the prime minister’s leadership. The Foreign Office did not tell the prime minister that they granted developed vetting status to Peter Mandelson against the advice of the security and vetting process. The prime minister was only made aware of that on Tuesday evening this week when the documents became available to the Cabinet Office as part of the humble address process (a binding motion to request government papers – JG). No minister is allowed to see these vetting documents as a matter of principle because we employ security professionals to conduct deeply invasive personal investigations into people’s backgrounds and for those officials to make a recommendation to civil servants on the appointment and employment of individuals. Continue reading...

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The GuardianApr 17, 2026, 5:40 PM

Starmer was left in dark about Mandelson’s vetting by two other top civil servants

Exclusive: Officials have spent weeks debating whether or not to release highly sensitive information about the affair Keir Starmer was left in the dark about sensitive information relating to Peter Mandelson’s security vetting by two other top civil servants, including the head of the civil service, the Guardian can reveal. The prime minister said on Friday that it was “unforgivable” and “staggering” that senior officials did not tell him that Mandelson failed a security vetting process weeks before he took up his role as ambassador to Washington. Continue reading...

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The GuardianApr 17, 2026, 5:32 PM

Is Mandelson vetting scandal the final straw for Starmer? – The Latest

Keir Starmer says it is ‘staggering’ and ‘unforgivable’ that he was not told Peter Mandelson had failed security vetting before taking up the role of US ambassador. The comments follow a Guardian investigation that exclusively revealed Mandelson had initially been denied clearance after a background check by security officials, but that the decision was overruled by the Foreign Office. Lucy Hough speaks to the Guardian’s head of investigations, Paul Lewis – watch on YouTube Continue reading...

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