Peter Mandelson, Britain’s former ambassador to the United States, failed his security vetting before taking up the role, but Prime Minister Keir Starmer was unaware that officials had overruled the recommendation, the government said Thursday.
“Neither the Prime Minister, nor any government minister, was aware that Peter Mandelson was granted developed vetting against the advice of UK Security Vetting until earlier this week,” a government spokesperson said in a statement.
The decision was made by officials in the Foreign Ministry, the spokesperson added.
The disclosure of the vetting failure increases pressure on Starmer over his appointment of Mandelson, who is under police investigation for allegedly leaking government documents to sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. The revelation has led to renewed calls for Starmer to resign.
Starmer has apologized for the appointment but defended his own actions, accusing Mandelson of creating a “litany of deceit” about his Epstein ties. Starmer has promised to release documents on how Mandelson was appointed.
Continue reading the complete article on the original source
