The development will renew questions about Starmer’s judgment in appointing Mandelson to the diplomatic post, with opposition parties already accusing the prime minister of being misleading. Starmer had earlier told members of parliament that “full due process” was followed during the appointment.
Conservative Leader Kemi Badenoch seized on that comment on Thursday, saying Starmer should resign if he misled parliament. “If Mandelson failed the security vetting, full process was not followed. Misleading Parliament is a resigning offense,” she added.
Earlier this year MPs passed a motion requiring that documents on how Mandelson was appointed be handed over to the U.K. parliament after revelations in the Epstein files.
The government said it had obtained the UK Security Vetting information while they were compiling information to comply with the parliamentary motion.
“Once the Prime Minister was informed he immediately instructed officials to establish the facts about why the Developed Vetting was granted, in order to enact plans to update the House of Commons,” the U.K. government spokesperson said Thursday.
Starmer, struggling in the polls, is already grappling with unpopularity among his own MPs, although no clear leadership challenger has emerged.
