British Prime Minister, Keir Starmer, on Wednesday firmly ruled out resigning, insisting that claims he misled MPs over the appointment of a close party ally as UK ambassador to Washington had now been “put to bed”.
Speaking in Parliament, Starmer defended his position amid renewed pressure over what he admitted was a poor judgment in selecting Jeffrey Epstein’s long-time associate, Peter Mandelson for the high-profile diplomatic role.
The controversy deepened after the Foreign Office’s most senior official, Olly Robbins, appeared before a parliamentary committee a day after being dismissed by Starmer in connection with the saga.
Starmer has accused Robbins of failing to inform him about issues raised during Mandelson’s security clearance process.
He maintains that although he previously said “all due process” had been followed, he would not have approved the appointment had he known that independent vetting officials had advised against granting security clearance.
Addressing MPs, Starmer said Robbins had clearly answered “no” when asked if he had shared the recommendation “with me, number 10 or any other ministers”.
“That puts to bed all the allegations levelled at me … in relation to dishonesty,” he said, adding that opposition figures had previously insisted “that it must have been shared with me… It was not.”
Mandelson was appointed to the role in December 2024, shortly before Donald Trump’s return to the White House in January 2025, and assumed office in February 2025.
The specific security concerns raised by officials have not been disclosed publicly.
Robbins has, however, stated that they were not related to Mandelson’s reported association with the late US convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
Opposition Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch rejected Starmer’s defence, questioning why the appointment was not halted when other issues came to light.
She cited a document from the appointment process, claiming it showed Mandelson “remained on the board of the Kremlin-linked defence company, Systema, long after Putin’s first invasion of Ukraine in 2014,” adding, “The prime minister told us on Monday that he’d read that due diligence report. Why did the prime minister want to make a man with links to the Kremlin, our ambassador in Washington?”
Meanwhile, Morgan McSweeney, Starmer’s former chief aide, who resigned amid the fallout, is expected to face questioning from MPs on Tuesday.
Robbins told lawmakers on Tuesday that Downing Street had applied sustained pressure on officials to fast-track Mandelson’s approval, appearing to downplay security concerns.
He described the approach not as “just please get this done quickly” but “get it done”.
“I think, a pretty unmistakable feeling,” he said.
