He said:<\/p>\n
double quotation markThat I wasn\u2019t told that he\u2019d failed security vetting when I was telling parliament that due process had been followed is unforgivable.<\/p>\n
Not only was I not told, no minister was told and I\u2019m absolutely furious about it.<\/p>\n
Keir Starmer added:<\/p>\n
double quotation markIt is totally unacceptable that the prime minister making an appointment is not told that security vetting has been failed.<\/p>\n
He added he will \u201cset out all the relevant facts in true transparency\u201d to parliament on Monday.<\/p>\n
Updated at\u00a006.36 EDT<\/p>\n Key events<\/p>\n Show key events only<\/p>\n Please turn on JavaScript to use this feature<\/p>\n Here are some images of Peter Mandelson walking his dog in London this morning.<\/p>\n He has not publicly commented on his failed security vetting, as revealed by The Guardian last night.<\/p>\n Former UK ambassador to the United States, Peter Mandelson walks his dog on April 17, 2026 in London, England. Photograph: Carl Court\/Getty ImagesFormer British ambassador to the US Peter Mandelson walks outside his residence in London, Britain, April 17, 2026. Photograph: Chris J Ratcliffe\/ReutersShare<\/a><\/p>\n Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar said Downing Street should answer questions in parliament, following the revelations about the vetting of Peter Mandelson<\/a>.<\/p>\n Speaking as he campaigned in Edinburgh for the Scottish parliament election, Mr Sarwar said the scandal around Mandelson was the \u201ctipping point\u201d which led to his earlier call for Keir Starmer<\/a> to quit.<\/p>\n Asked if he thought the prime minister had misled parliament, Sarwar told the Press Association:<\/p>\n double quotation markThese are questions that of course have to be answered by Downing Street \u2013 in the parliament and also in any appropriate parliamentary committees.<\/p>\n I stated my position back in February, I stand by my position, I don\u2019t recoil from it. And many people will know that the Mandelson scandal was the tipping point for me.<\/p>\n Share<\/a>Starmer: ‘unforgivable\u201d and ‘staggering’ I wasn\u2019t told Mandelson was denied security clearance<\/p>\n The prime minister has spoken to reporters in Paris this morning, saying it is \u201cunforgivable\u201d and \u201cstaggering\u201d he wasn\u2019t told Peter Mandelson<\/a> was denied security clearance.<\/p>\n He said:<\/p>\n double quotation markThat I wasn\u2019t told that he\u2019d failed security vetting when I was telling parliament that due process had been followed is unforgivable.<\/p>\n Not only was I not told, no minister was told and I\u2019m absolutely furious about it.<\/p>\n Keir Starmer added:<\/p>\n double quotation markIt is totally unacceptable that the prime minister making an appointment is not told that security vetting has been failed.<\/p>\n He added he will \u201cset out all the relevant facts in true transparency\u201d to parliament on Monday.<\/p>\n Keir Starmer, right, picture with French president Emmanuel Macron on Friday morning Photograph: Beno\u00eet Tessier\/ReutersShare<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a006.36 EDT<\/p>\n We might have a chance to hear from Keir Starmer directly for the first time since the Guardian\u2019s revelations as he\u2019s just arrived in Paris for talks over reopening the strait of Hormuz.<\/p>\n He will co-host a virtual meeting with French president Emmanuel Macron and then have lunch. Around 40 countries and the International Maritime Organisation are expected to be on the call.<\/p>\n Watch that live here:<\/p>\n Former Labour leader Neil Kinnock has insisted that Keir Starmer will not quit over what he described as the Peter Mandelson<\/a> \u201chorror show\u201d.<\/p>\n \u201cKeir is not going. If we subtract the Mandelson thing over the last day, or the last eons, regardless of the 8 May outcome, it is widely understood that the last thing the Labour<\/a> party needs is the approach that the party, a party, is more concerned with its own welfare than the condition of the country,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n Speaking at a Best for Britain event unveiling shifting voter sentiment in favour of Labour being more ambitious in relation to its reset with the EU, he said that he believed Starmer would have not have known about the vetting.<\/p>\n \u201cThis is a very straight and honest guy who would not have sustained his argument previously for many many months\u201d if he had not told the truth about what he knew about Mandelson\u2019s vetting, he said.<\/p>\n He described the scandal as the \u201cMandelson horror show\u201d.<\/p>\n Share<\/a>‘Do the right and resign’ SNP’s Flynn urges Starmer<\/p>\n SNP Westminster leader Stephen Flynn has called on the prime minister to \u201cdo the right thing\u201d and resign.<\/p>\n Keir Starmer has faced more pressure to quit after it was revealed that the Foreign Office overruled a recommendation not to clear Peter Mandelson<\/a> to be the UK ambassador to the US.<\/p>\n While the prime minister is said to be \u201cfurious\u201d at the decision and the Foreign Office\u2019s top civil servant Olly Robbins was effectively fired, the prime minister remains in the hot seat.<\/p>\n \u201cThe resignation of Olly Robbins does not get the prime minister off the hook \u2013 it only raises more questions,\u201d the SNP\u2019s Westminster leader said.<\/p>\n \u201cKeir Starmer has run out of excuses, and fall guys, to blame for his own bad judgment and incompetence. He should do the decent thing and resign \u2013 before he is forced out.\u201d<\/p>\n SNP MP for Aberdeen South Stephen Flynn Photograph: Murdo MacLeod\/The GuardianShare<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a005.41 EDT<\/p>\n Not all Labour<\/a> MPs are angry about the story. In fact, Patrick Hurley, the MP for Southport, called it \u201ca big fuss over nothing\u201d.<\/p>\n He told Sky News:<\/p>\n double quotation markOlly Robbins isn\u2019t even a household name in his own household, and the general public will be utterly bemused that this has come up again in the media discourse.<\/p>\n The idea that the prime minister will be forced out over the appointment of someone to an ambassadorial role is like something out of a bad US sitcom that gets cancelled after three shows.<\/p>\n By an order of magnitude, the bigger problem for us is the shock from the Iran war, the ongoing challenge on prices of consumer goods and the very long shadow of Liz Truss\u2019s mini budget. Everything else is a sideshow.<\/p>\n Share<\/a>‘Nobody believes PM’ not aware of failed vetting, says Abbott<\/p>\n Veteran Labour MP Diane Abbott has said \u201cnobody believes that the prime minister\u201d was not aware of Peter Mandelson\u2019s failed vetting.<\/p>\n Mandelson failed his security vetting clearance<\/a> but the decision was overruled by the Foreign Office to ensure he could take up his post as ambassador to the US, an investigation by the Guardian revealed last night.<\/p>\n According to multiple sources, Mandelson was initially denied clearance in late January 2025 after a developed vetting process, a highly confidential background check by security officials.<\/p>\n Abbott told Sky News:<\/p>\n double quotation markIt\u2019s just not possible that No 10 didn\u2019t know. And I think to try and pretend No 10 didn\u2019t know, when anybody who follows those issues would know that that can\u2019t be true, is the kind of thing that undermines people\u2019s faith in politics.<\/p>\n She added that Starmer should \u201cconsider his position\u201d and said:<\/p>\n double quotation markIt\u2019s always been the process that if you mislead the House, you have to step down.<\/p>\n Diane Abbott arrives at Hackney Town Hall to cheers from her supporters on May 29, 2024 in London, England. Photograph: Guy Smallman\/Getty ImagesShare<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a005.26 EDT<\/p>\n Plaid Cymru leader Rhun ap Iorwerth said \u201cthere is no trust without transparency\u201d as he called on No 10 to \u201cadmit its incompetence\u201d.<\/p>\n In a post on X, he wrote:<\/p>\n double quotation markNo trust without transparency. So many questions remain unanswered and with every passing day the Prime Minister is distracted from the day job and failing those he serves.<\/p>\n It\u2019s time for the No10 operation to come clean or admit its incompetence.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Reform UK leader Nigel Farage has called for the prime minister to stand down.<\/p>\n Posting on X, Farage said: \u201cIt\u2019s time for Keir Starmer<\/a> to go.\u201d<\/p>\n Farage told broadcasters that the Foreign Office\u2019s top civil servant Olly Robbins is the \u201csacrificial lamb in an attempt to try and save the Prime Minister\u201d.<\/p>\n He told LBC: \u201cNone of this adds up, the idea they weren\u2019t told about the vetting. Remember, in the House of Commons, Starmer actually said that the vetting had told him about the ongoing relationship with Jeffrey Epstein, then outside of the House, in Hastings, he gave a speech in which he said that Mandelson had cleared security vetting.<\/p>\n \u201cThey are all over the place on this, it is totally unbelievable and Robbins, he\u2019s the sacrificial lamb in an attempt to try and save the Prime Minister, and it just isn\u2019t good enough.\u201d<\/p>\n Farage said it is not credible or believable that the Government waited until Thursday to reveal security vetting procedures had been overruled because it wanted to launch a \u201cfull-scale investigation\u201d.<\/p>\n The Reform UK leader told LBC the explanation is: \u201cJust not credible, not believable in any way at all. I am in absolutely no doubt in my mind that this Prime Minister misled the House of Commons and lied to the country outside of the House of Commons.\u201d<\/p>\n Farage said Robbins is \u201cone of the most professional civil servants in this country\u201d and \u201cthere is no way\u201d he would have decided to overrule security vetting procedures alone.<\/p>\n The Reform UK leader told LBC: \u201cThere is no way a man like that would unilaterally make a decision of this kind, and, equally, the Prime Minister cannot stand up and say that Mandelson passed security vetting and now claim later he wasn\u2019t told.<\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019s not incompetence, even Keir Starmer is not that incompetent, it is outright, blatant dishonesty.\u201d<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n The Green Party leader for England and Wales, Zack Polanski, has called for Keir Starmer<\/a> to resign.<\/p>\n Posting on X, Polanski said:<\/p>\n double quotation markThere\u2019s no way today should end without Starmer\u2019s resignation. Any other outcome would be an absurd scenario where this Labour Government \u2013 and all in it \u2013 would be laughing in our faces.<\/p>\n The ethics and morality are it (sic) are an important question. Just as vital and urgent is the fact it\u2019s all such a distraction.<\/p>\n We have sky high bills and an energy crisis \u2013 we need to end Rip Off Britain. All attention needs to be on a Government capable of doing the basics.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Friday\u2019s newspapers and broadcasters were dominated by the Guardian\u2019s revelations that Peter Mandelson<\/a> failed his security vetting clearance but the decision was overruled by the Foreign Office to ensure he could take up his post as ambassador to the US.<\/p>\n The story splashed on the front pages of the Daily Mail, Express, Daily Telegraph, The Times, the i Paper and the Financial Times.<\/p>\n The Mail leads with \u201cStarmer on brink as his Mandelson \u2018lies\u2019 are exposed\u201d. The paper says party leaders have accused the prime minister of \u201clying to MPs and say he must now resign\u201d, while the i leads with \u201cStarmer in peril again as No 10 turns on the Foreign Office\u201d.<\/p>\n The BBC on both radio and television, as well as Sky News, Times Radio, LBC and other commercial stations have all been leading with the story on their bulletins.<\/p>\n Here\u2019s a round-up of the papers:<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Last night there were calls for Sir Olly Robbins to appear again before Parliament\u2019s Foreign Affairs Committee to explain what happened \u2013 but now questions are being asked as to whether he will be able to give an account of what happened in light of his resignation.<\/p>\n Emily Thornberry, senior Labour<\/a> MP and the committee\u2019s chairwoman, told Sky News last night: \u201cPerhaps he can tell us\u2026 was it his own idea, or was he being leant on elsewhere?<\/p>\n \u201cOr was he, being a civil servant, was he getting direction from elsewhere, and if so, by whom?\u201d<\/p>\n She also pointed to the careful language in a letter she received from Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper on the vetting process, which noted that: \u201cThe vetting process was undertaken by UK Security Vetting on behalf of the FCDO and concluded with DV clearance being granted by the FCDO.\u201d<\/p>\n Thornberry said: \u201cIt says he was vetted, and it says he was appointed, but it doesn\u2019t say it was overridden\u2026 I\u2019m saying is that, you know, people have basically been telling us half the story.\u201d<\/p>\n Share<\/a>Foreign secretary only aware of Mandelson vetting fail when Guardian broke story The Guardian understands that Yvette Cooper and her office only became aware that Peter Mandelson<\/a> had failed security vetting when the newspaper broke the story on Thursday.<\/p>\n The foreign secretary spent the evening in the department and Downing Street with the prime minister where she spoke to Sir Olly Robbins. They concluded that he could no longer continue in post.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a004.26 EDT<\/p>\n Jones denied reports that senior government officials have been considering whether to withhold from parliament sensitive documents that show Mandelson failed security vetting<\/a> before he assumed the role of US ambassador.<\/p>\n Asked by BBC Radio 4\u2019s Today programme about the reports, he said \u201cThat\u2019s not true\u201d.<\/p>\n Jones said the process required the documents to go to Metropolitan Police and the Intelligence and Security Committee before they are published. He added:<\/p>\n double quotation markWe\u2019ve already published one tranche of documents and we\u2019ll publish another tranche soon.<\/p>\n Asked why the prime minister did not correct the record in the House of Commons when he appeared at prime minister\u2019s questions, Jones said Starmer wanted to wait to have \u201call the facts\u201d before appearing before the house, which he intends to do on Monday.<\/p>\n![\"Keir](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/1776423131_948_3334.jpg\")
Keir Starmer, right, picture with French president Emmanuel Macron on Friday morning Photograph: Beno\u00eet Tessier\/ReutersShare<\/a><\/p>\n![\"Starmer](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/1776423132_945_2516.jpg\")
Starmer arrives in Paris for conference on Strait of Hormuz \u2013\u00a0watch liveShare<\/a>![\"Lisa](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/1776423132_360_Lisa-OCarroll-byline-004.jpg\")
Lisa O\u2019Carroll<\/p>\n![\"Pippa](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Pippa_Crerar_Next_Gen.png\")
Pippa Crerar<\/p>\n