Starmer rejects calls to quit as pressure mounts over Mandelson vetting

Key Points:

• UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer expressed being "absolutely furious" for not being informed that Peter Mandelson failed his security vetting before being appointed as UK envoy to Washington, calling the Foreign Office's lack of communication "staggering" and "unforgivable."
• Starmer claimed he only learned about the vetting failure shortly before The Guardian published the story, leading to the ousting of senior Foreign Office official Olly Robbins, and pledged to provide full transparency to Parliament.
• The Foreign Office reportedly ignored security officials' recommendation not to appoint Mandelson, a decision confirmed by the prime minister's chief secretary, Darren Jones, who described the override as "astonishing" but within procedural rules.
• Opposition Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch dismissed Starmer's claim of ignorance as "completely preposterous," calling for his resignation and accusing him of misleading the public.
• Mandelson was appointed in February 2025 after a December 2024 announcement but was sacked seven months later following revelations about his connections to the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, uncovered by a US Congressional committee.