Keir Starmer's Cabinet rally to PM's defence a he faces crunch moment

Keir Starmer's Cabinet rally to PM's defence a he faces crunch momentThe under-fire Prime Minister will face a grilling from MPs on Monday after it emerged the former UK ambassador to Washington had failed UK Security vettingCommentsNewsAshley Cowburn Deputy Political Editor09:13, 19 Apr 2026View ImageKeir Starmer sacked Lord Mandelson as Ambassador to the US last year(Image: POOL/AFP via Getty Images)Keir Starmer's Cabinet allies have rallied to his defence as he faces a crunch Commons moment over the Peter Mandelson vetting scandal.‌The under-fire Prime Minister will face a grilling from MPs on Monday after it emerged the former UK ambassador to Washington had failed UK Security vetting.‌Last week, Mr Starmer sacked the Foreign Office boss Sir Olly Robins and said he was furious the department had kept No10 in the dark and gave Lord Mandelson clearance.‌Liz Kendall told Sky News it was a "serious mistake" for the Foreign Office boss not to tell Mr Starmer or the then-Foreign Secretary David Lammy Lord Mandelson had failed vetting.She also insisted the PM would have rescinded Lord Mandelson's appointment, which had already been made public before the UK Security vetting process.READ MORE: Politics live: Mandelson questions still plague Starmer as he prepares to face MPs over failed security vetting - latest adviceREAD MORE: Official sacked over Peter Mandelson vetting to face MP grillingAsked whether she still had confidence in Mr Starmer to lead the party into the next election, Ms Kendall replied: "100% because he is a man of guts, strength and courage".‌Citing the decision not to join the US-Israeli war with Iran, Ms Kendall went on: "The Prime Minister on the big calls facing this country has made the right calls."The Tech Secretary added: "It was wrong not to tell them he had not passed the UK Security Vetting. He would not have been appointed if he'd known that at the time.”Deputy PM Mr Lammy also ra...