Why is UK PM Starmer facing fresh calls to quit?

InternationalWhy is UK PM Starmer facing fresh calls to quit?By Reuters -Apr 17, 2026British Prime Minister Keir Starmer is facing renewed calls to resign over his decision to appoint Peter Mandelson as ambassador to the U.S. after the government said he failed security vetting and was still allowed to take up the job. Mandelson, 72, was fired from the most prestigious posting in Britain’s diplomatic service in ​September, when the depth of his friendship with the convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein started to become clear. The new information that Mandelson initially failed ‌the vetting, but was still given the role, increases the political pressure on Starmer, whose defence rests on the assertion that he was not told about the vetting failure until this week. WHY DOES IT MATTER? The leaders of the main opposition political parties have called for Starmer to resign, accusing him of misleading the public and parliament by suggesting that Mandelson had passed vetting. If Starmer was found to have ​knowingly, or recklessly, misled parliament, he would have broken the code that governs ministers’ behaviour and would be expected to resign, according to government rules. Ed ​Davey, the leader of the Liberal Democrats, has said a parliamentary committee should investigate if Starmer made misleading statements to lawmakers. Former ⁠Prime Minister Boris Johnson was forced to resign in 2022 in part because of months of embarrassing headlines about illicit parties held in government buildings during the ​COVID pandemic and accusations he misled parliament. Amber Rudd, Britain’s then-interior minister, resigned in 2018 after she said she had inadvertently misled parliament about government targets for deporting people who ​were allegedly living in Britain illegally. HOW COULD THE PRIME MINISTER BE UNAWARE OF THE FAILED SECURITY VETTING? Starmer said on Friday it was “staggering” that he had not been told Mandelson had failed his security vetting. The prime minister said he...