Key points from Starmer's Mandelson statement

Key points from Starmer's Mandelson statement10 minutes agoShareSaveAdd as preferred on GoogleGetty ImagesSir Keir Starmer has been in the Commons again defending his actions over the appointment of Lord Mandelson as ambassador to the US.It comes after it emerged the peer was given security clearance for the role in January 2025, against the recommendation of officials who vetted him. He formally took up the role the following month, and was sacked seven months later over his ties to the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.The PM blamed the Foreign OfficeThe prime minister had many angry words for the Foreign Office, the department that authorised Lord Mandelson's clearance despite the vetting concerns from security officials.He said the department's officials should have informed him at the time - and then missed "repeated occasions" afterwards to make him aware, including when the UK's then former top civil servant investigated Lord Mandelson's sacking last year.The repeated failure to divulge the result of Lord Mandelson's vetting process was "incredible", "staggering" and "astonishing", the prime minister said.And he went further, saying there had also been a "deliberate decision" to withhold information about the vetting process from MPs who had previously conducted an inquiry into Lord Mandelson's sacking.He argued the vetting result could have been sharedThe vetting process involves asking applicants deliberately intrusive questions about things such as their finances, sexual history, health and family.Sir Keir said he accepted that information gathered during this process - including from two interviews held with Lord Mandelson - should not be divulged.But he added that, in his opinion, there was no reason why the overall vetting recommendation could not have been shared with him.He suggested that this was a key point of difference between him and Sir Olly Robbins, t...