
UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer faced mounting pressure to quit on Friday over his appointment of Peter Mandelson as envoy to Washington, after it emerged the veteran politician had failed security vetting.
The affair has haunted Starmer for months amid growing anger over Mandelson’s 2024 nomination to the top diplomatic post despite his close ties to late US sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
Mandelson, a long-time insider with Starmer’s ruling Labour Party, has held multiple ministerial posts since the late 1990s – but has been dogged by repeated scandals throughout his career.
Advertisement
The government has blamed foreign ministry officials for the latest debacle, saying neither Starmer nor his foreign minister were told about Mandelson’s failed security check until this week.
Advertisement
Foreign ministry officials made the decision to allow Mandelson’s appointment to proceed “against the recommendation of UK Security Vetting”, the government said on Thursday.

Don't Miss:
-
China and US push Southeast Asia over their AI blocs. Will it test region’s non-alignment?
-
Man armed with sword injures several at Swedish high school
-
Ex-care home worker accused of raping intellectually disabled woman 5 times
-
Tesla forced to recall record 3 million cars in China over door-handle issue
-
OpenAI-backed legal tech firm pivots to Chinese Kimi K3 open-weight model

After Years of Waiting, Noel Tata Presides Unchallenged over India’s Biggest Business
Despite years of confiscations, the Met still holds hundreds of pieces linked to alleged trafficking and looting figures
Ex-Evergrande Boss Hui Ka Yan gets Life in Prison