British Prime Minister Keir Starmer admitted on Monday that his decision to appoint Peter Mandelson as Britain’s ambassador to Washington was a mistake and said he would not have gone ahead with the appointment if he had known Mandelson had failed a security clearance.Speaking in the House of Commons, Starmer said the facts about Mandelson’s review “could and should have been shared with me before he came into office”. He added that had he known, “I would not have continued with this appointment”.Starmer has rejected calls to resign amid the controversy. Mandelson was sacked in September after nine months in the job amid new details about his friendship with him. Jeffrey Epstein. Starmer’s staff warned that the link would pose a “reputational risk”. Documents released by the U.S. Justice Department in January included emails suggesting Mandelson shared sensitive government information with Epstein in the aftermath of the 2009 global financial crisis.The prime minister said he was “angry” that he had not been informed of an intensive vetting process that recommended Mandelson should not be given a security clearance. He placed the blame on Foreign Office officials, saying they failed to notify him, although the Foreign Office eventually cleared Mandelson.His explanation met with skepticism from lawmakers. “I know many members of the House will find these facts incredible,” Starmer said. “All I can say about that is they’re right. It’s unbelievable.”Conservative MP Kemi Badenock was fiercely critical of Starmer, saying: “It looks like he’s not asking any questions at all. Why? Because he doesn’t want to know.” She later added that he had “thrown his staff and officials under the bus”.Senior ministers have backed him, with Deputy Prime Minister David Lamy saying that had Starmer known about the review failure “he would never have made him ambassador”.Starmer sacked Olly Robbins, the Foreign Office’s top civil servant, after the incident came to light. However, Robbins’ allies said he was unable to share sensitive details of the review with the prime minister. Robbins is expected to report on his situation to the Foreign Affairs Committee.The issue has unsettled Labor members, who are already worried about poor poll numbers. Pressure is likely to increase if the party performs poorly in the upcoming local and regional elections on May 7.Critics say the controversy highlights the wider challenges facing Starmer’s leadership since Labour’s July 2024 election victory, as he has struggled with economic growth, public services and the cost of living while undergoing several policy reversals.British police launched a criminal investigation in February and arrested Mandelson on suspicion of misconduct in public office. He has denied wrongdoing and has not been charged. He faces no charges of sexual misconduct.
