UK Starmer faces calls to quit Mandelson safety doctor. Here is the reason – National
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer is facing renewed calls to resign over his decision to appoint Peter Mandelson as ambassador to the United States after the government said he failed security checks and was still allowed to start the job.
Mandelson, 72, was fired from a prestigious post in the British diplomatic service in September, when the depth of his friendship with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein began to emerge.
The new information that Mandelson initially failed the test, but was offered the role, increased political pressure on Starmer, whose defense hinged on the fact that he was not told about the test failure until this week.
Leaders of the main opposition parties have called for Starmer to resign, accusing him of misleading the public and parliament by suggesting Mandelson had passed the test.
If Starmer is found to have deliberately, or recklessly, misled parliament, he would be in breach of the ministerial code of conduct and would be expected to resign, according to government rules.
Ed Davey, leader of the Liberal Democrats, said a parliamentary committee should investigate whether Starmer made misleading statements to MPs.
Former Prime Minister Boris Johnson was forced to resign in 2022 in part because of months of scandalous headlines about illegal parties held in government buildings during the COVID-19 crisis and allegations of misleading parliament.
Amber Rudd, who was Britain’s home secretary at the time, resigned in 2018 after she misled parliament about the government’s intentions to deport people believed to be living in Britain illegally.
Starmer said on Friday it was “amazing” that he had never been told that Mandelson had failed security checks.
The prime minister said he will make a statement in parliament on Monday to clarify what he knows about the investigation and answer questions from members of parliament.
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The foreign secretary said in September that the vetting of potential diplomats was conducted without the minister, “who was not informed of any findings other than the final outcome.”
A letter from the Foreign Office in January last year offering Mandelson a diplomatic job, and released by parliament last month, suggested Mandelson had passed security checks.
“Your security clearance has been confirmed by the Vetting Unit and is valid until 29 January 2030,” the letter said.
What is the danger in PM?
Starmer survived news of his resignation in February when he was forced to admit that material used to treat Mandelson contained details of his relationship with Epstein.
The danger for Starmer is whether there is any evidence that Starmer, or his senior advisers, knew that Mandelson had failed the analysis. If there is, this would conflict with the prime minister’s defense.
Foreign Office chief Olly Robbins, who was ousted from Downing Street late on Thursday, has been asked to appear before a parliamentary committee on Tuesday to explain what happened.
Starmer in September repeatedly told parliament that “due process” had been followed.
In February, Starmer told reporters that security checks were being conducted by security officials and used this as a defense for why he nominated Mandelson despite his known connections to Epstein.
Can Starmer’s leadership be challenged?
A leadership challenge could be launched if there is enough support behind a candidate to replace Starmer, who has the lowest approval ratings of any prime minister on record.
Candidates for prime minister will need to meet the 81-vote threshold, as things stand, according to Labor Party rules. Starmer will simply be on the ballot for any such contest.
It is often harder for Labor advocates to oust a prime minister than for those opposed to the Conservative Party, which has gone through five prime ministers in eight years since 2016, because Labor rebels have to support certain people, rather than register ‘no confidence’ in the leader.
Members of Parliament have never succeeded in removing a sitting prime minister in the party’s 125-year history.
Former Prime Minister Tony Blair set a deadline for his departure after some junior members of his government resigned in 2006, but he did not give up early.
