Keir Starmer has been accused of misleading MPs over Peter Mandelson’s appointment as US ambassador following reports he failed crucial security vetting– but was given the job anyway.
Lord Mandelson was denied critical clearance after the prime minister announced he would be sent to Washington, but the Foreign Office took the rare step of overruling the recommendation, according to The Guardian.
The disgraced Labour peer was sacked months later over his links to the paedophile financier Jeffrey Epstein and is now facing a police inquiry over claims he leaked sensitive government documents to Epstein when he was business secretary.
Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch accused Sir Keir of misleading MPs over his appointment.
She said the prime minister had told Parliament three times that the full due process had been followed over Lord Mandelson’s appointment.
“We now know the prime minister misled the House,” she said. “The prime minister must take responsibility.”
The latest claim comes after The Independent reported last September that there were concerns Lord Mandelson had not cleared vetting due to concerns over his business links to China and fears that his past links to Epstein “would compromise him”.
This is a breaking news story, more follows …