Starmer's Mandelson nightmare never ends. This time, it may cost him his job as U.K. leader

United KingdomStarmer's Mandelson nightmare never ends. This time, it may cost him his job as U.K. leaderThe British prime minister would have hoped his cool head in the Iran crisis would keep a lid on leadership speculation, but a slow-burning scandal has left him with questions to answer.Listen to this article with a free account00:0000:00Britain's Prime Minister Keir Starmer speaks during a joint press conference following an international summit on efforts to reopen the Strait of Hormuz at the Elysee Presidential Palace in Paris on April 17.Tom Nicholson / AFP - Getty ImagesShareAdd NBC News to GoogleApril 18, 2026, 4:20 AM EDTBy The Associated PressLONDON — British Prime Minister Keir Starmer probably wishes he had never heard the name Peter Mandelson.Subscribe to read this story ad-free Get unlimited access to ad-free articles and exclusive content.Starmer is again facing questions over his future. And again, it's do with his misguided decision to appoint a self-professed "best pal" of convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein to the plummiest of plum jobs in U.K. diplomacy — that of ambassador to the United States.Two months ago when he was last imperiled over the appointment in late 2024, it was his judgment that was in question. Enough for some in his Labour Party, including its leader in Scotland, to urge him to stand down.Now, he's facing accusations that he misled Parliament over how Mandelson cleared the official hurdles to get the job in the first place.If he's found to have done so, he will be on very thin ice, not least because Starmer put integrity at the heart of his pitch to the British electorate at the July 2024 election to replace the scandal-plagued Conservatives.British Prime Minister Keir Starmer (R) talks with Britain's ambassador to the United States Peter Mandelson during a welcome reception at the ambassador's residence on February 26, 2025 in Washington, DC.Carl Court / Getty Images"Starmer set himself up as the guy who...