Keir Starmer vents fury at Foreign Office over Mandelson vetting scandal - 'beggars belief'

Keir Starmer vents fury at Foreign Office over Mandelson vetting scandal - 'beggars belief'As the Prime Minister scrambled to contain the fallout from the row, he said it 'beggars belief' he wasn't told the former ambassador to Washington failed security vettingCommentsNewsAshley Cowburn Deputy Political Editor16:33, 20 Apr 2026View ImageKeir Starmer addressed MPs in high-stakes Commons showdown(Image: House of Commons/UK Parliament/PA Wire)Keir Starmer has vented his fury at Foreign Office officials for being kept in the dark over the Peter Mandelson security vetting scandal.‌As the Prime Minister scrambled to contain the fallout from the row, he said it "beggars belief" he wasn't told the former Ambassador to Washington failed vetting.‌In a high-stakes Commons showdown, Mr Starmer insisted he would have cancelled Lord Mandelson's appointment as the UK's top diplomat in Washington had he known.‌Launching an attack on the Foreign Office - days after sacking the top official Sir Olly Robbins at the department - he said there was a "deliberate decision" taken repeatedly not to inform him.Mr Stamer told MPs: "I know many members across the House will find these facts to be incredible, and to that I can only say that they are right."It beggars belief throughout the whole timeline of events, officials in the Foreign Office saw fit to withhold this information from the most senior ministers in our system of government. That is not how the vast majority of people in this country expects politics, government or accountability to work, and I do not think it’s how most public servants think it should work.”‌READ MORE: Keir Starmer LIVE: PM to address Parliament over Peter Mandelson vetting scandalMr Starmer did not respond to suggestions No10 had been bounced into confirming Lord Mandelson as US ambassador after the appointment was leaked.This was raised by chairwoman of the Foreign Affairs Committee Dame E...