Starmer did not know Mandelson failed vetting, government says

The prime minister did not know Lord Mandelson failed security vetting for the role of US ambassador until earlier this week, the government has said.

A spokesperson said the decision to go against the recommendation of the vetting agency and allow him to take up the role was taken by officials in the Foreign Office.

Sir Keir Starmer has faced calls to resign over allegations he misled Parliament and MPs when he claimed "full due process" was followed during the appointment.

It came after the Guardian newspaper reported that Lord Mandelson was initially denied security clearance in late January 2025 but this was overruled by the Foreign Office to ensure the peer could take up the post.

Lord Mandelson was sacked as ambassador last year over his ties to the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

During Prime Minister's Questions on 10 September 2025, Sir Keir said three times that "full due process" was followed for the appointment.

The Ministerial Code states that ministers who knowingly mislead Parliament are expected to resign.

Taking questions from journalists following a press conference on 5 February in Hastings, Sir Keir also said that there was "security vetting carried out independently by the security services, which is an intensive exercise that gave [Lord Mandelson] clearance for the role, and you have to go through that before you take up the post".

Lord Mandelson was announced as the UK's ambassador to the US in December 2024, before enhanced vetting had been carried out, and formally took up the role on 10 February 2025.

Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch called for the PM to resign.

"The prime minister appointed Peter Mandelson before the vetting had been completed, vetting Mandelson failed," she said.

"Starmer then said full due process was followed. That is misleading Parliament.

"I'm only holding him to the same standards to which he's held previous prime ministers - that if they mislead parliament, they should resign.

"In these dangerous times, Britain cannot afford to have a prime minister who the country doesn't trust. Starmer has betrayed our national security. He should go."

A government spokesperson said: "The decision to grant Developed Vetting to Peter Mandelson against the recommendation of UK Security Vetting was taken by officials in the FCDO.

"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.

"Once the prime minister was informed he immediately instructed officials to establish the facts about why the Developed Vetting was granted, in order to enact plans to update the House of Commons."

In February, the government agreed to release documents relating to Lord Mandelson's appointment, following a vote by MPs for them to be published.

However, the Guardian reported that senior government officials have been considering whether to withhold documents from Parliament revealing Lord Mandelson was not given vetting approval from security officials.

The government has already published some files, including an earlier due diligence check carried out by a team at the Cabinet Office, which was sent to the PM on 11 December 2024.

That advice - which is largely based on public information such as media reports - warned that Lord Mandelson's relationship with Epstein posed a "reputation risk".

A spokesperson said the government was committed to complying with a parliamentary motion demanding the release of documents related to the appointment "in full as soon as possible".

They said any documentation which required redaction on the basis of national security or international relations would be provided to Parliament's Intelligence and Security Committee, a cross-party group of MPs and peers which has been tasked with reviewing documents to decide what can be released.

"This will include documents provided to the FCDO by UK Security Vetting," they added.

Sign up for our Politics Essential newsletter to keep up with the inner workings of Westminster and beyond.