For months, U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer and his embattled Labour government have been dragged down by tough questions over why officials appointed Peter Mandelson, a close friend of the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, as ambassador to the U.S.
Now there are fresh calls for Starmer to resign after it was revealed that in 2025 the Foreign Office went against Mandelson’s failed security vetting and appointed him anyway.
Mandelson, a Labour Party veteran, served in the prestigious post for seven months before being turfed last September.
The scandal, and its widening wake, has already led to a handful of government resignations, and as Starmer’s judgement is again scrutinized over Mandelson, he is claiming ignorance over the vetting affair.
“I’m absolutely furious,” said Starmer in a brief interview from Paris where he is meeting European leaders about the Strait of Hormuz.
“I was not told that [Mandelson] had failed security vetting. No minister was told that. No. 10 wasn’t told that failed security vetting, that is completely unacceptable.”
Calls to resign
Starmer reinforced his apparent indignation by saying that it was “unforgivable” that he wasn’t aware about Mandelson’s vetting situation, even as he insisted before parliament that due process was followed.
In the hours after the revelations, which were originally published Thursday by The Guardian, the top civil servant from the U.K.’s Foreign Office was forced to resign, but opposition MPs, along with at least one Labour backbencher are casting doubt on the claims that the government was left unaware.
Kemi Badenoch, the leader of the official opposition, called the prime minister’s claims “utterly preposterous” saying that events and statements don’t add up.
On social media, Nigel Farage, the leader of the right-wing Reform party, accused Starmer of “blatantly” lying and said he should resign.
The leader of the Green Party, which just defeated Labour in a byelection in Greater Manchester, took it one step further. Zack Polanski said that Starmer should step down today.
All of it escalated the already high political pressure for Starmer, and for the party he leads. Recent polls suggest that Starmer, who Led the labour party to landslide victory in 2024, is viewed as unlikeable by the vast majority of Bris.
With Labour expected to do poorly in a wave of local elections set to take place across England in May, alongside regional votes in Scotland and Wales, Starmer’s political predicament could grow beyond bad press to a staggering defeat at the polls.
“These revelations are incredibly serious,” said Anand Menon, a professor of European Politics and Foreign Affairs at King’s College London. “He looks at best clueless and at worst like he’s lying. I think that’s not a great place to be.”
Who knew what and when?
Menon, who spoke to CBC News by phone in London, said people were well aware about risks associated with Mandelson.
In March, the U.K. government released nearly 150 pages related to his appointment, which show that Starmer had been warned ahead of Mandelson taking on the role, that there was a “reputational risk”
There was no mention that Mandelson didn’t pass security vetting. In fact, among the documents released last month was a letter that stated that Mandelson’s security clearance had been “confirmed by the Vetting Unit.”
Mandelson, who was sacked from his post in September after documents published in the U.S., revealed the extent of his ties with Epstein.
In a 2003 letter, Mandelson called Epstein his “best pal” and in 2009, upon Epstein’s release from jail for soliciting prostitution from a minor, Mandelson emailed him calling it “liberation day.”
In an interview with BBC News in January, Mandelson apologized “unequivocally” for associating with Epstein after his conviction, suggesting that as a gay man he was “kept separate” from Epstein’s sex life.
Labour party veteran
A month after that interview, Mandelson was arrested on suspicion of leaking government documents to Epstein. He was released the same day but police have said he is still under investigation. Reuters has reported that a lawyer for Mandelson did not provide comment on Thursday about the vetting process.
Prior to his appointment as ambassador, Mandelson was an influential Labour party insider. His career included serving four years as EU Trade Commissioner, and a stint as business secretary under Prime Minister Gordon Brown.
His posting in the U.S. came at a time when the Trump administration was threatening tariffs and promising to upend trade relationships.
Starmer, who said he found out about the revelations on Tuesday, said he intends to appear in parliament on Monday, and set out all “the relevant facts in true transparency.”
But it’s unlikely that will quell the mounting pressure.
Sinking popularity
Menon said that Starmer had been able to somewhat stabilize his position because of his government’s handling of the war in the Middle East and the fact that there is a growing consensus in the Labour party that there was no real alternative to his leadership at the moment.
“Now, all of a sudden, the newspapers are full of quotes from people saying, ‘That’s it, he’s got to go,’” said Menon.
He said depending on the local elections next month, there may be a push to change the leadership.
If it doesn’t, says Menon, the risk is that Starmer will enter what he sees a lame duck era.
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