UK PM Starmer faces tough week as scandal over his Epstein-linked pick for US ambassador refuses to die down
CNN • • general
Key Points:
- Keir Starmer’s premiership is under threat following the controversy over his appointment of Peter Mandelson as Britain’s ambassador to the US, despite Mandelson failing security vetting before the 2025 appointment.
- UK Foreign Office officials overrode the vetting failure using rare authority after Starmer had announced the appointment, but Starmer claims he was unaware and is “absolutely furious” about not being informed.
- Downing Street responded by dismissing Foreign Office civil servant Olly Robbins, who will testify before parliament amid questions about the security vetting process and his earlier statements defending it.
- The scandal emerges weeks before local elections expected to be difficult for Starmer’s Labour Party, intensifying political pressure and calls from opposition leaders for Starmer’s resignation over alleged misleading of parliament.
- Despite the controversy, some key ministers publicly support Starmer, emphasizing his integrity and denying he would have appointed Mandelson had he known about the vetting failure.
