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<\/p>\nEmbattled British Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer says he was wrong to appoint Labour politician Peter Mandelson as UK envoy to Washington, seeking to quell anger over a scandal surrounding Jeffrey Epstein’s long-time associate.<\/p>\n
Sir Keir, already widely unpopular with the public and many Labour MPs, is struggling to manage a controversy that has threatened to bring down his leadership.<\/p>\n
Addressing parliament about the deepening political row, Sir Keir said: “At the heart of this, there is also a judgement I made that was wrong. I should not have appointed Peter Mandelson.”<\/p>\n
He faced fresh calls to quit last week after it was revealed that Lord Mandelson \u2014 whose friendship with the late convicted US sex offender was long known \u2014 had become Britain’s envoy to Washington last year despite failing security checks.<\/p>\n
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An image included in the Epstein files shows former prince Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, left, and Lord Peter Mandelson, centre, alongside deceased convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. (Reuters\/US Justice Department)<\/p>\n
Sir Keir has insisted that he and other ministers were not told until last week that Lord Mandelson had failed the independent vetting process.<\/p>\n
“It beggars belief that throughout the whole timeline of events, officials in the Foreign Office saw fit to withhold this information from the most senior ministers in our system, in government,” he told MPs.<\/p>\n
“If I had known before he took up his post that [the] recommendation was that developed vetting clearance should be denied, I would not have gone ahead with the appointment.”<\/p>\n
‘Unconventional’<\/p>\n
Last Thursday, Sir Keir sacked the Foreign Office’s top civil servant, Olly Robbins, telling MPs that he had set in motion a review of the security vetting process.<\/p>\n
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A decisoin by the UK Cabinet Office to fail Peter Mandelson’s vetting was subsequently overruled by the Foreign Office. (AP: Kin Cheung)<\/p>\n
But ex-civil servants have accused Sir Keir of scapegoating Mr Robbins, who will give his own account to a parliamentary watchdog committee on Tuesday.<\/p>\n
Opposition leaders have called for the centre-left Labour leader to step down, with accusations ranging from incompetence to wilful misleading of parliamentarians and the public.<\/p>\n
Sir Keir told parliament in February that “full due process” was followed when Lord Mandelson was vetted and cleared for the key role.<\/p>\n
Mandelson released as Epstein files fallout continues<\/a><\/p>\n Peter Mandelson, a political powerbroker and former government minister, has been investigated by London’s Metropolitan Police for about three weeks over allegations of misconduct in public office.<\/p>\n His Downing Street office has insisted that remains true because government rules meant the Foreign Office had the power to overrule vetting concerns, without the knowledge of Sir Keir and his top team.<\/p>\n On Friday, Downing Street took the unusual step of releasing a memo that insisted he had only found out about the vetting failure last Tuesday.<\/p>\n Senior ministers have so far rallied around Sir Keir.<\/p>\n “A judgement was made that the Trump administration was an unconventional administration and an unconventional ambassador could do a job for the United Kingdom,” Scotland Secretary Douglas Alexander said Monday.<\/p>\n “That judgement was wrong and the prime minister accepts that.”<\/p>\n ‘He has to go’<\/p>\n Other ministers have argued that Sir Keir should remain in power amid the global tumult sparked by the Middle East war and other issues, including forging closer relations with the European Union.<\/p>\n But polls suggest Sir Keir is one of Britain’s most unpopular prime ministers ever.<\/p>\n If Sir Keir had known about the failed vetting “then he has to go, he has to resign”, retired dentist Andrews Connell, 59, told AFP.<\/p>\n “If he knew that’s really bad. If he didn’t know, he should have known.”<\/p>\n Peter Mandelson was tasked with keeping Donald Trump’s view of the UK favourable. (Reuters: Leah Millis)<\/p>\n Pensioner Lyndia Shaw, 73, agreed saying Sir Keir is “absolutely hopeless, hopeless, and I feel that yes Mandelson should face the full force of the law without doubt”.<\/p>\n But retiree Duncan Moss, 67, said he would be “very worried if Starmer was to leave and to not run the country. I think he’s doing a very good job. I think he’s a very mature, experienced leader”.<\/p>\n![\"Donald](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/9d2a4b078a90c6233b76d322a2c43903.jpeg\")
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