UK PM Starmer faces tough week as scandal over his Epstein-linked pick for US ambassador refuses to die down

By Issy Ronald, CNN

London (CNN) — When Keir Starmer was elected Britain’s Prime Minister nearly two years ago, his promise to a public weary of political scandals and turmoil was that his government would be different.

Yet the furor over Starmer’s decision to appoint Peter Mandelson – whose close ties to sex offender Jeffrey Epstein would be detailed in files released by the US Department of Justice – as Britain’s ambassador to the United States is once again threatening to engulf his premiership.

Now, he faces a crucial week navigating the latest fallout from the scandal, after it emerged on Thursday that Mandelson had failed in-depth security vetting conducted before his appointment in early 2025. Citing multiple sources, the Guardian reported that officials at the UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office then used a rare authority to override that recommendation, since Starmer had already announced Mandelson’s appointment.

Starmer insists he was unaware of the failed vetting, telling reporters on Friday he was “absolutely furious” he had not been told.

In an attempt to quell the scandal, Downing Street effectively fired the Foreign Office’s top official, civil servant Olly Robbins, while briefing media that his department had not informed Starmer of Mandelson having failed the security vetting.

But that has not halted the questions leveled against the government by opposition lawmakers and its own backbenchers. And Starmer faces further challenges this week: He is set to address parliament about the scandal on Monday, while Robbins will testify in front of a parliamentary committee on Tuesday.

There, Robbins will be questioned over his earlier assertion that Mandelson’s “security vetting was conducted to the usual standard set for Developed Vetting in line with established Cabinet Office policy.”

What Robbins says on Tuesday will determine the next chapter of this affair. The Financial Times reported Sunday that he is taking legal advice and “feels aggrieved over his dismissal,” citing people close to him.

All this comes only weeks ahead of local elections in which Starmer’s Labour Party is expected to suffer heavy losses. If ever someone were to mount a leadership challenge against Starmer, as the conventional thinking went before the war with Iran unleashed huge geopolitical uncertainty, it would come after those elections. So, the most damaging scandal of Starmer’s premiership rears its head again at a profoundly unstable time for the government.

Still, key ministers have publicly defended Starmer, indicating he retains some measure of support within his cabinet. Deputy Prime Minister David Lammy told the Guardian on Saturday that Starmer would “never ever have appointed” Mandelson had he known about the former ambassador’s failure to pass security vetting.

Technology minister Liz Kendall echoed that message on Sunday, telling Sky News that Starmer is a “man of integrity” who would have reversed course if required.

But his political opponents say the latest revelations are further evidence of a serious judgement lapse by Starmer and have called on him to resign, claiming he misled parliament when previously detailing the process before Mandelson’s appointment as having followed standard procedure.

Either Starmer is “lying or grossly incompetent,” said Kemi Badenoch, leader of the opposition Conservative Party, on Friday.

Even before further details about his ties with Epstein emerged in recent months, Mandelson was seen as a risky bet – someone who could hold his own with US President Donald Trump, but who also had a habit of becoming embroiled in controversy. He was to be sacked from the plum diplomatic role after seven months in the job.

During a career in which he built a reputation as a canny political operator who helped remake the modern Labour Party, Mandelson was also forced to resign from government twice, in the 1990s and early 2000s.

British police arrested Mandelson in February on suspicion of misconduct in public office, after documents released by the US Department of Justice showed he appeared to leak sensitive British government data to Epstein. He was released after questioning but remains under investigation. Mandelson has denied any criminal wrongdoing.

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