Starmer-Mandelson live: PM braces for difficult day as Olly Robbins to hit back over vetting scandal – UK Times

Ed Miliband has insisted Sir Keir Starmer should resist calls to resign over the Peter Mandelson scandal.

The energy secretary admitted the prime minister made a mistake in appointing the former Labour peer as US ambassador, but defended his position as leader.

“You’re asking me should Keir Starmer resign over the appointment of Lord Mandelson, and I’m saying to you, no, I don’t think he should.”

He added: “If every time a prime minister made a mistake they resigned, we would shuttle through prime ministers like nobody’s business.”

With the best will in the world, it cannot be ideal that a prime minister has to go to the House of Commons and plead, in effect, that he has not lied to MPs for the not-entirely satisfactory reason that he didn’t know what was going on in his own government.

Early in his statement, which was being listened to in stunned silence, when Sir Keir Starmer declared that the events he carefully chronicled were “incredible”, laughter broke out. Maybe that was because, in the old saying, if you didn’t laugh, you’d cry.

Without using the term, Sir Keir made his case that he was the victim of a “cover-up”, orchestrated by officials in the Foreign Office, and in particular the former head of the diplomatic service, Sir Olly Robbins. Yet Sir Olly may say he was trying to be helpful to ministers and was sticking to the law as he understood it. Soon, he too will have his say.

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Ed Miliband has claimed he spoke to David Lammy about his concerns about Peter Mandelson ahead of his appointment as US ambassador.

The energy minister told Sky News he “steered clear” of Mandelson when he was Labour leader, and that he feared at the time that the decision to hand him the job in Washington would “blow up”.

Asked if he told anyone about these concerns, he said: “I had a conversation with David Lammy about it before the appointment.”

Mr Lammy was foreign secretary at the time of Mandelson’s appointment as US ambassador.

Asked what he said, Mr Miliband added: “I think he was worried about it too.”

Ed Miliband is speaking to broadcasters this morning as he answers questions on behalf of the government on what is expected to be a difficult day for Sir Keir Starmer.

The energy secretary reiterated that Peter Mandelson “should never have been appointed” to be US ambassador.

“This has been a very damaging episode for the government,” he told Sky News.

“I’m sure Keir feels that himself and lessons need to be learned about who gets appointed…and indeed about the process of vetting.

“Keir Starmer has taken responsibility for this error of judgment in appointing Peter Mandelson, and he’s been right to do that look on the ins and outs.”

Analysis by Kate Devlin, Whitehall Editor

After Sir Keir Starmer set out his side of the story yesterday, today MPs will hear from the man critics say the prime minister “threw under a bus” over the scandal of Peter Mandelson’s failed vetting.

The prime minister spent much of yesterday criticising Sir Olly Robbins in the House the Commons.

Today is his chance to set out his side of the story, as he gives evidence to the powerful Foreign Affairs Committee.

Allies of Sir Olly, dramatically sacked by the PM over the row last week, insist he believes he did nothing wrong.

As a successful career civil servant he is expected to have receipts about what happened and when.

This morning will be a nervous time for No 10.

The Guardian reported that the Intelligence and Security Committee, a cross-party group of parliamentarians which scrutinises matters of security, has received vetting documents relating to Lord Mandelson.

The peer was flagged as “high concern” by UKSV and it was recommended that clearance should be denied to him, the Guardian reported.

Sir Keir said in his appearance in the Commons on Monday afternoon that the Government was investigating security concerns relating to Lord Mandelson’s time as US ambassador.

He also said the terms of a probe into Government security vetting have been updated in light of the latest revelations about Lord Mandelson and the inquiry will be led by Sir Adrian Fulford, a senior judge and chairman of the Southport Inquiry.

US President Donald Trump appeared to lend support to Sir Keir.

He wrote on his Truth Social platform: “Prime Minister Keir Starmer of the United Kingdom acknowledged that he ‘exercised wrong judgement’ when he chose his Ambassador to Washington.

“I agree, he was a really bad pick. Plenty of time to recover, however! President DJT”

Sir Olly Robbins will face a grilling from MPs this morning as he answers questions over the security vetting of Lord Peter Mandelson.

The former head of the Foreign Office has come under fire from the prime minister for failing to inform him that Lord Mandelson failed his security vetting.

Sir Keir Starmer has said Sir Olly learned UK Security Vetting (UKSV) had advised Lord Mandelson be denied clearance, but took the step of overriding their decision.

On Monday night, The Telegraph reported Sir Olly is expected to say he believed telling Sir Keir about the recommendation could be a national security risk.

In a few hours, Sir Olly Robbins will have a chance to respond to the Prime Minister, who blamed the sacked senior civil servant for “deliberately” keeping him in the dark over Lord Mandelson’s failure to pass security vetting checks before taking the Washington DC posting.

Sir Olly, until last week the most senior civil servant in the Foreign Office, will reportedly tell the Foreign Affairs Committee that the Government pressured him into clearing Lord Mandelson, despite the peer’s relationship with paedophile financier Jeffrey Epstein, and business links to Russia and China.

The Times has reported that Sir Olly will use his “box office” appearance at the committee to reveal he did not see the formal recommendation by vetting officials that Lord Mandelson should not be given clearance, while insisting the UK Security Vetting (UKSV) process is only advisory.

The man who has been blamed for the failure to inform the prime minister of Lord Peter Mandelson’s failed security vetting will answer questions from MPs on Tuesday.

Sir Olly Robbins will speak to the Foreign Affairs Committee later today.

He was sacked by Sir Keir Starmer last week after Downing Street said the PM had “lost confidence” in him.

He is understood to be “heartbroken” over the decision, with reports he is seeking legal advice on how to proceed.