LONDON: British lawmakers debated Tuesday whether to launch a parliamentary probe into Prime Minister Keir Starmer, in a scandal surrounding sacked US envoy Peter Mandelson that he is struggling to shake off. Members of parliament discussed whether to refer Starmer to a committee to consider if he misled parliament over the appointment of the ex-associate of late US sex offender Jeffrey Epstein to the plum diplomatic post. It is the latest development in an unrelenting controversy that has plagued Starmer&#39;s Labour government for months, hampering its work and leading to calls for him to resign. Opposition Conservative party leader Kemi Badenoch said it was &quot;very obvious&quot; that what Starmer had told the House of Commons regarding Mandelson&#39;s 2024 appointment was &quot;not correct&quot;. &quot;It&#39;s clear that full due process was not followed,&quot; she told MPs, opening the debate, which was expected to last several hours and conclude with a vote on whether to open an inquiry. Starmer denies allegations that his office applied pressure on the foreign ministry to approve Mandelson&#39;s appointment as Britain&#39;s ambassador in Washington despite having failed security vetting. Earlier this month, Starmer sacked the most senior civil servant in the foreign office, Olly Robbins, for not telling him or other ministers that Mandelson had not passed the checks. Starmer commands a large majority in the lower house of parliament. MPs from his ruling Labour party have been ordered to vote against the motion, meaning it is unlikely to pass. Speaking&nbsp;to Sky News late on Monday, the prime minister branded the move &quot;a political stunt&quot; ahead of local elections in England, Scotland and Wales next week. &quot;We&#39;ve got huge amounts of transparency going on already,&quot; Starmer insisted. &#39;Serious mistake&#39; Starmer sacked Mandelson in September 2025 after a fresh batch of revelations came to light about the extent of the latter&#39;s friendship with Epstein, who reportedly died in prison in 2019. But the row has only escalated since, with Starmer&#39;s former chief of staff Morgan McSweeney and ex-communications head Tim Allan forced to step down earlier this year. Starmer&#39;s cause has not been helped by the fact that UK police are investigating Mandelson over allegations he committed misconduct in office while serving as a Labour minister more than a decade ago. Mandelson is accused of leaking sensitive information to Epstein. He denies wrongdoing. On Tuesday, McSweeney told parliament&#39;s foreign affairs committee that he made a &quot;serious mistake&quot; in&nbsp;advising Starmer to appoint Mandelson. He denied telling officials that Mandelson&#39;s vetting checks &quot;should be cleared at all costs&quot;. Earlier, Robbins&#39; predecessor at the foreign office, Philip Barton, told the committee that it was unusual for an appointment to be announced before the vetting process was completed. MPs will decide whether the cross-party privileges committee, which investigates potential breaches of parliamentary conduct, should look into Starmer. That committee was responsible for former prime minister Boris Johnson&#39;s exit from frontline politics after it investigated him for misleading parliament over the so-called &quot;partygate&quot; breaches of Covid-19 laws. He quit as an MP in 2023 before the committee published a report recommending his suspension.

Britain's Prime Minister Keir Starmer talks during a visit to the Kenton district of London on April 23, 2026. (AFP)

Europe

British lawmakers debated launching a probe into Prime Minister Keir Starmer over the controversial Peter Mandelson appointment, amid claims he misled the British Parliament and bypassed proper vetting.

UK PM Starmer faces possible parliament inquiry over Mandelson

LONDON: British government ministers on Sunday backed embattled premier Keir Starmer as he struggles to shake off a scandal over long-time Jeffrey Epstein associate Peter Mandelson. Starmer is due to face lawmakers in parliament on Monday to explain how Mandelson was appointed Britain&#39;s ambassador to the United States in late 2024 despite failing to pass security checks. The prime minister, who has been dogged by the controversy for months, said Friday that he and other ministers were not told Mandelson had failed the vetting process, calling that &quot;unforgivable&quot;. He has blamed foreign office mandarins for allowing Mandelson&#39;s appointment against the advice of security officials, and sacked the department&#39;s top civil servant Olly Robins on Thursday. But ex-civil servants have accused Dowing Street of scapegoating Robbins while opposition leaders have called for Starmer to quit, with accusations ranging from incompetence to wilful misleading of the public. Technology minister Liz Kendall told the BBC on Sunday that Starmer would not have appointed Mandelson had he known that he had not received the appropriate security clearance. Deputy prime minister David Lammy, who was foreign secretary when Mandelson was appointed to Washington, said the same in an interview with the Guardian published late Saturday.&nbsp;&lsquo;Made the right call&rsquo;Kendall said Starmer should remain in his job because he had &quot;made the right call&quot; on big issues, such as building closer relations with the European Union and limiting Britain&#39;s involvement in the US-Israel war on Iran. &quot;I think he is an honest man and a man of integrity who says it was a mistake to appoint him,&quot; she told Sky News. Lammy said it was &quot;inexplicable&quot; that the foreign office had kept Downing Street in the dark, telling the Guardian he had been &quot;shocked and surprised&quot; when he learnt what happened. Starmer, already widely unpopular with the British public due to several policy mis-steps, has faced repeated questions about his judgement for selecting Mandelson whose friendship with Epstein was well known.&nbsp;Mandelson&rsquo;s sacking&nbsp;He sacked Mandelson in September 2025 after new details emerged about the depth of Mandelson&#39;s ties to Epstein, who died in prison in 2019 while facing sex-trafficking charges. UK police are investigating allegations of misconduct in office by Mandelson when he was a Labour minister more than 15 years ago. He was arrested and released in February. Mandelson has not been charged and denies criminal wrongdoing.

United Kingdom

Technology minister Liz Kendall says Starmer shall remain in his job because he has 'made the right call' on big issues, such as building closer relations with the European Union and limiting Britain's involvement in the Iran war.

UK ministers back Starmer amid fresh calls to quit

LONDON: UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer said Friday he was &quot;furious&quot; after it emerged his sacked US ambassador&nbsp;<a href="https://www.pakistantv.com/article/uk-top-official-to-step-down-over-exenvoys-failed-vetting-reports" target="_blank" style="color:#0073e6;" rel="noopener noreferrer">Peter Mandelson</a>&nbsp;was appointed despite failing security vetting, as the scandal again threatens his hold on power. The beleaguered British leader, who has been dogged for months by the controversy, claimed he and other ministers were not told Mandelson had failed the vetting process, branding that &quot;unforgivable&quot;. Starmer has faced repeated calls to quit since his 2024 decision to appoint Mandelson as Britain&#39;s top diplomat in Washington backfired spectacularly over the envoy&#39;s longstanding ties to late US sex offender&nbsp;<a href="https://www.pakistantv.com/article/anil-ambani-sought-jeffrey-epsteins-help-on-usindia-defense-ties-nyt" target="_blank" style="color:#0073e6;" rel="noopener noreferrer">Jeffrey Epstein</a>. Starmer sacked Mandelson in September, just seven months after taking up his post. A longtime insider with the ruling center-left Labour party, Mandelson had held multiple ministerial posts since the late 1990s, but was tarred by repeated scandals which earlier twice forced him out of office. &quot;That I wasn&#39;t told that he had failed (security vetting) when I was telling parliament that due process had been followed is unforgivable,&quot; Starmer told broadcasters on Friday during a visit to Paris. &quot;Not only was I not told, no minister was told, and I&#39;m absolutely furious about that,&quot; he said, adding he would address parliament on Monday &quot;to set out all the relevant facts in true transparency&quot;. Top officials fired Starmer&#39;s government has blamed Foreign Office officials for allowing Mandelson&#39;s appointment to proceed &quot;against the recommendation of UK Security Vetting&quot;, with the ministry&#39;s top civil servant, Olly Robbins, ousted late Thursday. The prime minister had &quot;lost confidence in him&quot; over the botched process, senior minister Darren Jones said. Parliament&#39;s main foreign affairs watchdog committee said Friday it has requested Robbins give evidence about the issue next Tuesday. Despite the government&#39;s stance, The Independent newspaper reported last September of &quot;serious concerns&quot; Mandelson &quot;did not clear security vetting for the role but the prime minister pushed through his appointment anyway&quot;. Five months later, Starmer insisted publicly Mandelson had passed vetting. Calls for the UK leader to resign have intensified, with the leaders of all the UK&#39;s main opposition parties urging him to quit since The Guardian first reported the security vetting story Thursday. Conservative Party leader Kemi Badenoch wrote on X that &quot;Starmer has betrayed our national security. He should go&quot;. Jones denied Starmer was at risk, claiming &quot;the public can see in Keir Starmer that they have a strong, credible leader who has influence on the world stage&quot;. The ambassador to Washington is seen as Britain&#39;s most prestigious and most important diplomatic post, in charge of nurturing the so-called &quot;special relationship&quot; with the United States. Earlier in the year, two of Starmer&#39;s top political aides resigned as the scandal grew. Police probe Starmer himself has faced repeated judgement questions over selecting Mandelson. He has accused the ex-envoy of lying about the extent of his ties to Epstein during the vetting process. Starmer fired Mandelson as ambassador after documents released by a US Congressional committee revealed new details about the depth of his ties to Epstein. Police have now opened an investigation into allegations of misconduct in office by Mandelson, who was arrested and released on bail in February. He has not been charged and denies criminal wrongdoing. The force is investigating Mandelson over allegations he leaked sensitive documents to Epstein when he was a government minister, including during the 2008 financial crash. The advice submitted to Starmer in December 2024 noted a series of reports detailing Mandelson&#39;s links with Epstein, who was convicted of sex crimes in Florida in 2008, including soliciting a minor. It said their relationship &quot;continued across 2009-2011&quot;, beginning when Mandelson was a government minister and continuing after the UK&#39;s last Labour government ended in 2010. It also noted that Mandelson &quot;reportedly stayed in Epstein&#39;s house while he was in jail in June 2009&quot;. Lawmakers earlier this year ordered the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.pakistantv.com/article/who-is-shabana-mahmood-the-hardline-uk-labour-minister-tackling-migration" target="_blank" style="color:#0073e6;" rel="noopener noreferrer">Labour government</a>&nbsp;to release tens of thousands of emails, messages and documents detailing how Mandelson was vetted for the role. The second tranche of documents is expected to be released in the coming weeks.

Britain's Prime Minister Keir Starmer speaks to the media at the airport in Doha, Qatar on April 10, 2026. (AFP)

The British leader stated he and other ministers were not told Peter Mandelson had failed the vetting process, branding that "unforgivable".

British PM says 'furious' after fresh revelations over sacked US envoy

Web Desk

<ul style="margin-top:0;margin-bottom:0;padding-inline-start:48px;" id="isPasted"><li style="list-style-type:disc;font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:400;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre;"><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:400;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre;white-space:pre-wrap;">Peter Mandelson sacked as U.S. ambassador.</li><li style="list-style-type:disc;font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:400;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre;"><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:400;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre;white-space:pre-wrap;">Emails showed close ties with Jeffrey Epstein.</li><li style="list-style-type:disc;font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:400;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre;"><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:400;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre;white-space:pre-wrap;">Foreign ministry said new details forced dismissal.</li><li style="list-style-type:disc;font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:400;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre;"><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:400;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre;white-space:pre-wrap;">Mandelson, 71, key Labour figure under Tony Blair.</li></ul><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:700;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre;white-space:pre-wrap;">ISLAMABAD:&nbsp;<span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:400;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre;white-space:pre-wrap;">Britain&rsquo;s ambassador to the United States, Peter Mandelson was sacked Thursday after leaked emails exposed deep ties to Jeffrey Epstein, intensifying political fallout for Prime Minister Keir Starmer.<span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:400;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre;white-space:pre-wrap;">Mandelson, 71, a veteran Labour politician who played a central role in Tony Blair&rsquo;s government, was asked to step down after letters and emails surfaced showing he described Epstein as &ldquo;my best pal&rdquo; and advised him on pursuing early release when facing charges over soliciting a minor, Reuters reported.<span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:400;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre;white-space:pre-wrap;">&ldquo;In light of the additional information in emails written by Peter Mandelson, the prime minister has asked the foreign secretary to withdraw him as ambassador,&rdquo; Britain&rsquo;s Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office said in a statement.&nbsp;<span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:400;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre;white-space:pre-wrap;">It added that the material demonstrated Mandelson&rsquo;s relationship with Epstein was &ldquo;materially different from that known at the time of his appointment.&rdquo;<span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:400;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre;white-space:pre-wrap;">Mandelson, who earned the nickname &ldquo;Prince of Darkness&rdquo; for his behind-the-scenes influence in the Labour Party, had previously expressed regret over his dealings with Epstein.<span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:400;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre;white-space:pre-wrap;">&ldquo;I deeply regret ever meeting Epstein and that I carried on that association for far longer than I should have done,&rdquo; he said Wednesday. His remarks initially appeared to reassure Starmer, who defended him in parliament later that day.

Americas

Britain’s ambassador to the United States, Peter Mandelson, was dismissed after new emails revealed his close ties to Jeffrey Epstein, intensifying pressure on Prime Minister Keir Starmer.

Articles tagged with "Peter Mandelson"

UK PM Starmer faces possible parliament inquiry over Mandelson

UK ministers back Starmer amid fresh calls to quit

British PM says 'furious' after fresh revelations over sacked US envoy

UK Ambassador to US Sacked After Links to Jeffrey Epstein