Starmer faces rising strain over Mandelson appointment after new testimony | EUROtoday
Get real time updates directly on you device, subscribe now.
Downing Street on Tuesday denied a declare from a former official that it had utilized strain on civil servants to approve the appointment of Peter Mandelson as UK envoy to Washington and appeared to dismiss safety considerations.
UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer remained mired in a scandal over his determination to nominate Mandelson as Britain’s envoy to the United States earlier than sacking him final yr over hyperlinks to the late US intercourse offender Jeffrey Epstein.
Olly Robbins, probably the most senior international ministry official till he was fired final week over the scandal, instructed MPs Tuesday that Starmer’s workplace had a “dismissive attitude” in direction of the safety vetting for its US envoy choose.
There was a “very strong expectation … coming from Number 10 (Downing Street) that he (Mandelson) needed to be in post and in America as quickly as humanly possible”, Robbins instructed a watchdog parliamentary committee.
“My office, the foreign secretary’s office, were under constant pressure, there was an atmosphere of constant chasing.”
Read extra‘Lame excuse’: British papers not satisfied by PM Starmer’s Mandelson defence
A Downing Street spokesman denied this, saying there was “clearly a difference between asking for updates on an appointment process”, and being dismissive about vetting.
Government minister Darren Jones instructed an emergency debate in parliament Tuesday that “no such pressure was applied beyond asking for the process to be completed as quickly as possible”.
On Monday Starmer instructed parliament he was “wrong” to nominate Mandelson however accused officers of intentionally hiding data that the Labour politician had been denied safety clearance.
The Foreign Office subsequently green-lit Mandelson – who had lengthy been identified to have shut ties to Epstein – regardless of the federal government now confirming unbiased vetting officers had beneficial safety clearance be denied.
That revelation, first reported by The Guardian final Thursday, has prompted contemporary requires Starmer to resign, after he beforehand insisted all “due process” had been adopted.
During the emergency debate Tuesday, the top of the Conservative rightwing opposition social gathering Kemi Badenoch urged Labour MPs to carry a vote of no confidence in Starmer.
The beleaguered British chief has blamed officers for intentionally preserving him at midnight in regards to the safety clearance challenge, and on Monday denied deceptive parliament along with his earlier statements on the scandal.
‘Borderline case’
In his much-anticipated testimony, Robbins offered a extra nuanced evaluation, insisting he formally permitted Mandelson after vetting officers – housed in one other authorities division – concluded he was a “borderline” case.
“I was briefed that … they were leaning towards recommending that clearance be denied but that the Foreign Office security department assessed that the risks … could be managed and/or mitigated,” Robbins instructed MPs.
Olly Robbins reveals “constant pressure”
One of your browser extensions appears to be blocking the video participant from loading. To watch this content material, you could have to disable it on this web site.
“I was also told that the risks did not relate to Mandelson’s relationship with Jeffrey Epstein,” he added.
UK media has reported that the considerations surrounded the hyperlinks of Mandelson’s now-shuttered lobbying agency to Chinese firms.
Mandelson, now 72, was named to the coveted high diplomatic put up in December 2024, simply weeks earlier than US President Donald Trump was inaugurated the next month, and took up the job in February 2025.
Asked about the opportunity of denying Mandelson safety clearance, Robbins conceded that will have been a “difficult problem I would have been landing the foreign secretary with and the prime minister with”.
But he insisted “that was not what was on my mind as we took this decision” whereas additionally noting a denial would have “damaged” UK-US ties.
Starmer sacked Mandelson in September 2025, seven months after he took up the put up, following new particulars rising in regards to the depth of the ex-envoy’s ties to Epstein, who died in a US jail in 2019 whereas going through sex-trafficking fees.
‘Bad choose’
UK police at the moment are investigating allegations Mandelson leaked delicate paperwork to Epstein when he was a authorities minister, together with in the course of the 2008 monetary crash.
He was arrested and launched in February and has not been charged. Mandelson denies felony wrongdoing.
Overnight, Trump, who has criticised Starmer over a perceived lack of help for his Iran conflict, waded into the controversy.
He agreed on his Truth Social platform that Mandelson “was a really bad pick” for the Washington job.
But in a slight signal of encouragement, Trump added: “Plenty of time to recover, however!”
Starmer mentioned Monday he has instigated a overview of the safety vetting course of. But former civil servants have accused him of scapegoating Robbins.
On Tuesday Starmer instructed ministers that Robbins “made an error of judgement” however was a “man of integrity”.
(FRANCE 24 with AFP)
https://www.france24.com/en/europe/20260422-starmer-faces-rising-pressure-over-us-envoy-appointment-after-new-testimony