Starmer-Mandelson latest: Prime minister faces judgement day after calls to resign over vetting scandal – UK Times

Sir Keir Starmer will battle to save his job in Parliament on Monday by setting out further details of the “unforgivable” error by officials in not telling him Peter Mandelson had failed his security vetting.

In a Commons statement, Sir Keir will be faced with allegations he misled Parliament after telling MPs the proper process had been followed in appointing Lord Mandelson to the post of ambassador to the US, insisting he had been kept in the dark about the peer being red-flagged by security experts.

Sir Keir effectively fired the Foreign Office’s top official Sir Olly Robbins last week after it emerged Lord Mandelson had been given developed vetting (DV) status despite failing checks carried out by the agency responsible for assessing security clearances.

Whitehall veteran Sir Olly is expected to give his own account to MPs on Tuesday at the Foreign Affairs Committee.

The scandal has fuelled calls for Sir Keir to resign, both from opposition parties but also from his critics within the Labour movement who already fear an electoral bloodbath for the party in May’s contests in English councils and the Scottish and Welsh parliaments.

If Sir Keir Starmer clings on to his position on Monday, he faces another tricky day of headlines on Tuesday, when the former head of the Foreign Office could be called before MPs to speak about the Mandelson vetting scandal.

Sir Olly Robbins was effectively sacked last week over his handling of Lord Mandelson’s vetting process to be US ambassador.

Sir Olly will reportedly mount a staunch defence of his decision to approve Lord Mandelson’s appointment this week, which could throw Sir Keir’s government into further disarray.

A friend of Sir Olly told The Times that he was furious at the way he had been treated and was prepared to make clear to MPs that he had followed the correct procedure when he apparently kept Sir Keir in the dark about the vetting failure.

Sir Olly could appear before the Foreign Affairs Committee as early as Tuesday, with a slot currently listed at 10:30am to consider “work of the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office”.

Sir Keir Starmer is due to give a statement about Lord Mandelson’s vetting process in the Commons on Monday afternoon.

A slot for urgent questions or ministerial statements is available at 15:30. According to parliament’s bulletin, Sir Keir is expected to make a statement then.

Opposition leaders have called for Sir Keir Starmer to resign, with Kemi Badenoch claiming it is “simply not possible” Sir Keir wasn’t aware Lord Mandelson had failed his vetting process.

Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey has said the situation shows “catastrophically poor judgement” and said that the evidence suggests that Sir Keir misled the public and parliament.

Green leader Zack Polanski has said that the revelations should lead to Sir Keir’s resignations, adding: “Any other outcome would be an absurd scenario where this Labour government – and all in it – would be laughing in our faces”.

Reform UK’s Nigel Farage has said that the prime minister “has misled parliament”, adding that he has “lied to the public”. He said: “Enough is enough. It’s time to get Starmer out”.

The prime minister Sir Keir Starmer is facing calls to step down after further revelations last week that his pick for the role of US ambassador, Lord Peter Mandelson, had failed security vetting.

Lord Mandelson’s was green-lit by officials in the Foreign Office despite the concerns after Downing Street had made it clear that they wanted Lord Mandelson to take up the position.

Downing Street claimed last week that Sir Keir was only made aware of the vetting failure last week when documents detailing his appointment came to light. No10 made the claims despite The Independent’s political editor David Maddox telling Downing Street’s then-director of communications last September that MI6 had failed to clear the then-Labour peer, largely because of concerns over his business links to China.