Embattled Starmer says he was not told Mandelson failed vetting process

U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer was fighting for his job on Monday afternoon (April 20, 2026), as he told the House of Commons that he would not have appointed Peter Mandelson as the British envoy to Washington, if he had known the disgraced ambassador, who had links to paedophile Jeffrey Epstein, had failed being cleared by U.K. Security Vetting (UKSV).

Mr. Starmer, however, said that he took responsibility for the decision to appoint Mr. Mandelson and that the victims of Mr. Epstein were “clearly failed by my [his] decision”

The U.K. Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) overruled the UKSV recommendation that Mr. Mandelson not be given ‘developed vetting’, the highest level of security clearance, the Guardian had reported last week.

“I simply do not accept that Foreign Office officials could not have informed me of UKSV recommendations whilst also maintaining the necessary confidentiality that vetting requires,” Mr. Starmer told the House. Neither he nor any other ministers were told of the UKSV recommendation, the Prime Minister said. The specifics of why Mr. Mandelson failed the vetting have not been made public.

“A deliberate decision was taken to withhold that material from me,” Mr. Starmer said.