Citing an investigation by the daily The Guardian, the BBC reported on Thursday, 16 April 2026, that Lord Peter Mandelson failed the security vetting required for the post of British ambassador to the US in late January 2025. According to the newspaper, the decision by the United Kingdom Security Vetting agency was overridden through internal intervention by Foreign Office officials so that Mandelson could take up the post. The name of the person who overrode the decision was not disclosed. BBC ↗
Leader of the opposition Conservatives Kemi Badenoch accused Prime Minister Keir Starmer shortly after the report was published of misleading the House of Commons. "We now know that the Prime Minister misled the House. The Prime Minister must take responsibility," Badenoch said. During Prime Minister's Questions on 10 September 2025, Starmer repeated three times that "due process was fully followed" in Mandelson's appointment. BBC ↗
The British Ministerial Code, the ethical code governing ministers' conduct issued by the Prime Minister, states that ministers who knowingly mislead Parliament are expected to offer their resignation. However, the rule is not legally enforceable, and sanctions are ultimately decided by the Prime Minister. Institute for Government ↗
Developed vetting is the strictest British security clearance for individuals with access to sensitive classified information. It includes checks on finances, criminal history, and personal ties, including an interview with a trained official. Mandelson was announced as British ambassador to the US as early as December 2024 — a month before he failed the vetting. BBC ↗
According to The Guardian, senior government officials are considering whether to withhold from Parliament documents confirming that Mandelson failed the vetting. It is not clear whether the Prime Minister himself was informed directly of the agency's decision. The government had previously released an earlier due-diligence document from 11 December 2024, which warned of a "reputational risk" associated with Mandelson's relationship with Jeffrey Epstein. BBC ↗
Context — how this came about. In September 2025, Democrats in the US Congress released Epstein's 2003 "birthday book" containing a handwritten message from Mandelson. At the same time, Bloomberg obtained more than a hundred emails from 2005–2010 showing that Mandelson continued to support Epstein even after his 2008 conviction. Mandelson was subsequently removed from his post as ambassador on 11 September 2025 — the Foreign Office stated at the time that "Mandelson's suggestion that Epstein's first conviction was unjust is new information." CNN ↗
What still remains unclear. According to the Guardian's report, it remains unanswered whether the Prime Minister was informed that Mandelson had failed the vetting in January 2025. If he knew and nevertheless declared three times in the Commons in September 2025 that "due process was fully followed," this could constitute knowingly misleading Parliament under the Ministerial Code. If he did not know about the negative vetting result, the question remains as to who at the Foreign Office overrode the security agency's decision. According to the government, further documents are still to be released. BBC ↗
Guardian: Mandelson did not pass vetting, opposition accuses Starmer of misleading Parliament
Videos
🔥 You might also like
Politics (General)
Babiš's ANO heads into municipal and Senate elections leading the polls
On Friday and Saturday, municipal and Senate elections will take place in the Czech Republic. Voting will occur in more than 6,000 municipalities...
Politics (General)
Bookmakers favor Grolich in Senate elections
Current South Moravian governor and KDU-ČSL chairman Jan Grolich is one of bookmakers' biggest favorites in this year's Senate elections.
Politics (General)
Okamura receives Iranian ambassador, faces opposition criticism
Chamber of Deputies Speaker and SPD leader Tomio Okamura received Iranian ambassador Sejjed Madžíd Ghafeleh Bashi on Friday. According to Okamura, the meet...
From our newsroom original
All →
Opozícia hrozí podaním návrhu na Ústavný súd pre rozpočtové provizórium
Magyar oznámil zmeny v zdravotníctve, daniach a rozpočte
South African lawyer Navanethem Pillay wins Nobel Peace Prize
Swedish court convicts two men over concealed Viking-era treasure, acquits third man accused of selling it
Man suspected of attempting to sell uranium-238 for $700,000 detained in Georgia
Amsterdam museum returned ancient vase to Sicily, theft revealed by 1976 wedding photo
Quebec: Separatists Win with 28% of the Vote and No Majority, Promise Referendum Only After Trump
What Europe Is Writing About: AfD Leads a State Parliament, Ex-BND Chief Arrested, Puigdemont May Return
