Sir Keir Starmer is under further pressure over Lord Peter Mandelson‘s appointment as ambassador to the US after it was revealed the Foreign Office overruled security vetting.
The prime minister is facing calls to resign and follow in the footsteps of Sir Olly Robbins, the Foreign Office’s most senior civil servant, who was confirmed to be leaving his role on Thursday over the revelations.
Sir Keir has previously insisted due process was followed in the appointment, and that Lord Mandelson had lied about the extent of his links with paedophile financier Jeffrey Epstein.
Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch is leading the calls for Sir Keir’s resignation following the latest discovery. She said: “If he has misled parliament, as it looks like he has, he should resign.
“If he has broken the ministerial code, as it looks like he has, he should resign. If he withheld documents by a cover-up from parliament, he should resign.”
Darren Jones, the prime minister’s chief secretary, said it was “astonishing” and unacceptable that the Foreign Office was able to overrule the vetting process for Lord Mandelson, and Sir Keir is “furious”.
