British Prime Minister Keir Starmer faces a crucial test in Parliament on Monday as he battles a growing crisis over the appointment of Peter Mandelson as the UK’s ambassador to Washington.
Starmer is facing intense scrutiny for giving the top diplomatic post to a highly controversial figure with deep ties to Jeffrey Epstein after background checkers explicitly rejected his clearance, according to the Associated Press.
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The prime minister insists he was kept completely in the dark, according to The Guardian. Speaking from Paris on Friday, Starmer called the communication breakdown “staggering” and “unacceptable.”
“Not only was I not told, no minister was told, and I’m absolutely furious about that,” Starmer said. He added that the omission was unforgivable given he had previously assured lawmakers that due process was followed.
Downing Street argues that civil servants could have relayed the ultimate rejection without unlawfully breaching the candidate’s confidential file.
The fallout has already upended the Foreign Office. Olly Robbins, the department’s top civil servant, was fired over the controversy last week and is scheduled to testify before a parliamentary committee on Tuesday. Robbins’ defenders maintain that strict confidentiality protocols legally prevented him from passing the security dossier up the chain of command.
The scandal threatens Starmer’s leadership ahead of critical elections on May 7. Opposition leaders are demanding his resignation, accusing him of a massive failure as prime minister.
Starmer ousted Mandelson last September when emails surfaced proving the ambassador was dishonest about his ongoing ties to the financier. Background checkers had explicitly flagged the relationship, alongside his commercial interests in Moscow and Beijing, as a severe reputational risk before the appointment.
