British Prime Minister Keir Starmer faced mounting pressure to resign after it emerged that Peter Mandelson was initially denied security clearance for the role of UK ambassador to the United States, a decision later overruled by senior civil servants.
The revelation, first reported by The Guardian, showed that Mandelson failed a developed vetting process in late January 2025, a highly confidential background check conducted by UK security officials. Despite this, officials in the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) used a rarely invoked authority to override the recommendation, allowing the appointment to proceed.
Sir Olly Robbins, the FCDO’s permanent secretary and most senior civil servant at the time, was forced to resign after Starmer and Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper concluded he had lost their confidence. Robbins had only been in the role for three weeks when the decision was made, having taken over from Sir Philip Barton in early January 2025.
Starmer said he was not informed of the vetting override until earlier this week, stating he first learned of the situation on Tuesday. Cooper and her office only became aware of the failed vetting when The Guardian published its report on Thursday, prompting an urgent meeting with the Prime Minister and Robbins that evening.
Downing Street issued a statement late Thursday insisting that neither Starmer nor David Lammy, who served as foreign secretary at the time of the appointment, had prior knowledge of the security officials’ recommendation against clearance. The government maintained that responsibility for the decision rested solely with FCDO officials.
The controversy intensified as opposition leaders demanded accountability. Kemi Badenoch, leader of the Conservative Party, declared Starmer “definitely in resigning territory,” while Liberal Democrat leader Ed Davey said the Prime Minister “must go” if he had misled Parliament or the public.
The scandal is intertwined with renewed scrutiny over Mandelson’s historical ties to Jeffrey Epstein. Mandelson was dismissed from the ambassadorial post in September 2025 following the release of U.S. Justice Department documents that revealed extensive communication between him and the convicted sex offender. Emails from 2009 suggested he may have shared sensitive government information with Epstein during his time in the Labour government.
British police launched a criminal investigation into Mandelson’s conduct, searching his residences in London and western England. He was arrested on February 23 on suspicion of misconduct in public office, questioned for over nine hours, and released on bail. No charges have been filed to date.
Starmer has repeatedly apologized to the public and to victims of Epstein’s crimes for accepting what he now describes as “Mandelson’s lies,” while maintaining that proper procedures were followed in the appointment — a claim now under direct challenge by the disclosure of the overridden vetting process.
Why did Sir Olly Robbins resign?
Robbins resigned after Prime Minister Keir Starmer and Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper concluded they no longer had confidence in him following the disclosure that he oversaw the decision to override Mandelson’s failed security vetting.
What are the implications for Starmer’s leadership?
Opposition leaders have called for Starmer’s resignation if he misled Parliament about the vetting process, though he maintains he was not informed until earlier this week and acted promptly to investigate once informed.