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Starmer accuses Robbins of obstructing truth about Mandelson vetting

PM admits he made mistake in choice of ambassador as he makes high-stakes statement to parliament over scandal Keir Starmer has accused Olly Robbins of deliberately and repeatedly obstructing the truth about the… Grouped from 6 articles across 4 sources.

6 reports4 sourcesApr 20, 2026, 8:05 PM
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The GuardianApr 20, 2026, 8:05 PM

Starmer accuses Robbins of obstructing truth about Mandelson vetting

PM admits he made mistake in choice of ambassador as he makes high-stakes statement to parliament over scandal Keir Starmer has accused Olly Robbins of deliberately and repeatedly obstructing the truth about the Mandelson vetting scandal before a high-jeopardy appearance of the sacked top official before MPs on Tuesday. Six days after the prime minister said he had learned that his pick for Washington ambassador had failed security vetting, Starmer admitted his decision to appoint him had been a fundamental mistake. Continue reading...

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The Straits TimesApr 20, 2026, 3:34 PM

Starmer apologises for Mandelson appointment amid vetting fury

“I should not have appointed Peter Mandelson,” the UK prime minister told the House of Commons.

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DWApr 20, 2026, 6:08 PM

UK: Starmer says he would't have appointed Mandelson as US envoy if he'd known he failed vetting process

Under-fire Prime Minister Keir Starmer told the House of Commons that neither he nor his ministers were told that the former ambassador to the US and Epstein associate Peter Mandelson had failed his security vetting.

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The Straits TimesApr 20, 2026, 3:15 PM

British PM Starmer seeks to deflect blame over Mandelson appointment

Mr Starmer said he had not been told that Mr Mandelson had failed his security vetting clearance.

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Financial TimesApr 20, 2026, 2:06 PM

Starmer says ‘deliberate decision’ made to withhold Mandelson vetting from him

PM addresses the Commons about officials’ failure to share findings of security checks

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The GuardianApr 20, 2026, 6:11 PM

Starmer says it ‘beggars belief’ he wasn’t told about Mandelson vetting failure as he faces down the Commons – UK politics as it happened

MPs jeered as PM said it is ‘incredible’ he was not told full story and he was wrong to appoint Mandelson as US ambassador At his press conference Nigel Farage was asked about reports saying that Keir Starmer knew about the security concerns about Peter Mandelson that led to him failing his security vetting interview. That was a reference to the Telegraph splash , which says: Senior Whitehall sources told The Telegraph that the UKSV [UK Security Vetting] findings largely restated security risks that had already been drawn to Sir Keir’s attention. One senior source with knowledge of the process said: “The reality is that Starmer had already been warned about the major risks and he had waved them away.” Sources have told The Independent that MI6 failed to clear the Labour peer largely because of concerns over his business links to China. However, there were also worries that his past links to the disgraced financier and convicted paedophile Jeffrey Epstein “would compromise him”. It’s impossible for the prime minister to say the warning lights weren’t flashing. And if you were prime minister and there were news reports last September that your ambassadorial choice had failed vetting, you would have thought perhaps he might have had some curiosity to try to find out whether this had really happened or not. I just find the whole thing totally incredible. Incredible. There is no way the prime minister couldn’t have known. The Labour backbenchers are not yet of a mood to get rid of their prime minister, although after 7 May they just might be. Continue reading...

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