UK's Starmer to face grilling from MPs over Mandelson scandal

Starmer, already widely unpopular amongst the British public and many Labour MPs, is struggling to put a lid on the controversy, which has dogged his premiership for months.

It flared again on Thursday when it was revealed that Mandelson was named as Britain's ambassador to the United States in late 2024 despite failing to pass security checks, sparking fresh calls for Starmer to quit.

The beleagured leader insisted Friday that he and other ministers were not told Mandelson had failed the vetting process, calling the omission "unforgivable".

He is to give further details in a statement to the House of Commons on Monday, before being quizzed by MPs.

Starmer has blamed foreign office officials for allowing the appointment against the advice of security officials. He sacked the department's top civil servant Olly Robins on Thursday.

Ex-civil servants have accused Starmer of scapegoating Robbins, who is to give his own account to a parliamentary committee on Tuesday, in what could be a crunch week for Starmer's almost two-year-old premiership.

Opposition leaders have called for Starmer to step down, with accusations ranging from incompetence to wilful misleading of parliamentarians and the public.

Starmer told parliament in February that "full due process" was followed when Mandelson was vetted and cleared for the key role.

Downing Street insists that remains true because government rules meant the foreign office had the power to overrule vetting concerns, unbeknownst to Starmer and his top team.

On Friday, Starmer's office took the unusual step of releasing a memo which insisted that he only found out about the vetting failure on Tuesday last week.

Ministers have rallied around him over the weekend, with Technology Secretary Liz Kendall and deputy prime minister David Lammy insisting Starmer would not have appointed Mandelson had he known that he had not received the appropriate clearance.

"I think he is an honest man and a man of integrity who says it was a mistake to appoint him (Mandelson)," Kendall told Sky News.
Police probe
Kendall said Starmer should remain in his job because he had "made the right call" on big issues, such as building closer relations with the European Union and limiting Britain's involvement in the Iran war.

Polls suggest Starmer is one of Britain's most unpopular prime ministers ever, in part because of several policy mis-steps.

He has endured repeated questions about his judgement for selecting Mandelson whose friendship with Epstein was well known, and faced down calls from Labour's leader in Scotland to resign over the issue earlier this year.

Starmer sacked Mandelson in September 2025 after new details emerged about the depth of the ex-envoy's ties to Epstein, who died in prison in 2019 while facing sex-trafficking charges.

UK police are investigating allegations of misconduct in office by Mandelson when he was a Labour minister more than 15 years ago. He was arrested and released in February.

Mandelson, 72, has not been charged and denies criminal wrongdoing.

Starmer and his Labour party are bracing for a chastening set of local elections next month, including in the devolved Scottish and Welsh parliaments.

The results are likely to renew questions about Starmer's future, although there appears to be little appetite within Labour to a launch leadership challenge right now, with no obvious successor available and war raging in the Middle East.