‘Feeling political pressure’: Sacked UK official blames Starmer’s office for Mandelson’s US appointment

The former civil servant who oversaw Peter Mandelson’s appointment as UK ambassador to Washington said he felt “political pressure” to speed up the decision despite “security concerns”.“Former foreign secretary Ollie Robbins was sacked by Prime Minister Keir Starmer last week amid a widening scandal that sparked calls for the Prime Minister to resign. Mandelson was ousted in September last year after just nine months in the job after more details emerged about his friendship with Jeffrey Epstein, the American sex offender who died in prison in 2019.“There is a climate of pressure in the Prime Minister’s Office and there is a very, very strong expectation that Mandelson will take over as soon as possible and return to the United States,” Robins told the House of Commons foreign affairs committee on Tuesday, a day after Starmer was asked by MPs how the appointment would be approved.“There is a generally dismissive attitude towards the security clearance process,” he added.Robbins further said the review agency considered Mandelson a “borderline case” and was “inclined to recommend against” granting him a security clearance. However, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs granted permission.He clarified that the “security concerns” had nothing to do with Mandelson’s friendship with Epstein. He also declined to say what led government review agencies to flag Mandelson as a potential security risk when asked by lawmakers.Starmer, for his part, admitted the appointment was a “mistake” and said he would have reconsidered it if he had become aware of the review issues. However, he placed the blame on Foreign Ministry officials, accusing them of failing to inform him of the issues and of proceeding with the approval despite this.He said it was “frankly shocking” that he was not told about the failed safety inspection in January 2025, insisting he only learned about it last week.(With AP input)