Keir Starmer 'was not told Peter Mandelson failed vetting for US ambassador job'

Keir Starmer 'was not told Peter Mandelson failed vetting for US ambassador job'No10 was rocked by the revelation that the disgraced peer had been rejected by security officials before his appointment as the UK's representative in WashingtonNewsDave Burke Political Correspondent 18:12, 16 Apr 2026Updated 18:26, 16 Apr 2026View 2 ImagesPeter Mandelson failed security vetting before becoming the UK's ambassador in Washington(Image: AFP via Getty Images)Keir Starmer was not informed that Peter Mandelson had failed security vetting before being made ambassador to the US, the Government has insisted.‌No10 was rocked by the revelation that security officials rejected his clearance before his appointment as the UK's representative in Washington was finalised. Officials in the Foreign Office took the extraordinary step of overruling the decision in January last year.‌Downing Street said in a statement that the PM was unaware until this week, and had planned to update the Commons. The extraordinary chain of events, first reported by The Guardian, has been met with anger by MPs, with the Foreign Office facing calls to come clean.‌Speaking to reporters in Washington DC, Chancellor Rachel Reeves said: “I didn’t know anything about the vetting process. I’m the Chancellor, I’m not the Foreign Secretary, and I’m not 10 Downing Street, so I can’t give you any more information on that.”A government spokesman said no ministers were aware, pointing the finger at department mandarins. In a statement No10 said: “The security vetting process for Peter Mandelson was sponsored by the FCDO. The decision to grant Developed Vetting to Peter Mandelson against the recommendation of UK Security Vetting was taken by officials in the FCDOREAD MORE: Peter Mandelson 'failed security vetting but became UK's Trump whisperer anyway'READ MORE: Ex-cop MP shares harrowing frontline experiences as he makes emotional pleaView 2 ImagesKeir Starmer has faced a huge back...