Calls for Keir Starmer to Resign Over Peter Mandelson Vetting Scandal

Vetting Failure and Appointment Details

was appointed in 2024 despite failing the security checks, according to information that emerged on Thursday.

A letter from the Foreign Office in January last year stated that security clearance had been confirmed and was valid until 29 January 2030. Starmer told reporters he was furious that he was not told about the failure.

Government Response and Sackings

Downing Street sacked the Foreign Office's top official on Thursday in response to the scandal.

Senior minister Darren Jones stated that Starmer was furious about not being told and that the failure undermined the government, but it did not question the prime minister's future. >"That I wasn't told that Peter Mandelson had failed security vetting when he was appointed is staggering.

Opposition and Internal Reactions

Kemi Badenoch, leader of the Conservative Party, described Starmer's defense as preposterous and accused him of taking the public for fools.

Alex Burghart, a Conservative MP, called the situation the greatest political scandal of the time, suggesting it was either incompetence or a cover-up. Within the Labour Party, one anonymous lawmaker said the saga would keep Starmer under scrutiny ahead of local elections on May 7, 2026, while another called for the deputy prime minister to quit.

George Foulkes, a Labour member of the House of Lords, urged caution, stating that mistakes were made but the issue was not the major concern for people, and Starmer had handled other matters well.

Background and Prior Events

Starmer had previously apologized for appointing Mandelson, accusing him of a litany of deceit about his ties to Epstein and promising to release documents on the appointment process.

Opposition politicians questioned whether Starmer knowingly misled parliament when he assured lawmakers that Mandelson had completed vetting with no red flags. The scandal comes three weeks before local elections in England, and regional votes in Scotland and Wales, where Labour is expected to face losses.

“The story does not stack up.”

Political Context

Starmer won a large majority for Labour in the 2024 national election.

The revelations have sparked doubts about Starmer's judgment and the operations of his government.