LONDON – British government ministers on April 19 backed embattled premier Keir Starmer as he struggles to shake off a scandal over long-time Jeffrey Epstein associate Peter Mandelson.
Mr Starmer is due to face lawmakers in parliament on April 20 to explain how Mr Mandelson was appointed Britain’s ambassador to the United States in late 2024 despite failing to pass security checks.
The beleaguered prime minister, who has been dogged by the controversy for months, said April 17 that he and other ministers were not told Mandelson had failed the vetting process, calling that “unforgivable”.
He has blamed foreign office mandarins for allowing Mr Mandelson’s appointment against the advice of security officials, and sacked the department’s top civil servant Olly Robins on April 16.
But ex-civil servants have accused Dowing Street of scapegoating Mr Robbins while opposition leaders have called for Mr Starmer to quit, with accusations ranging from incompetence to wilful misleading of the public.
Technology minister Liz Kendall told the BBC on April 17 that Mr Starmer would not have appointed Mr Mandelson had he known that he had not received the appropriate security clearance.
Deputy prime minister David Lammy, who was foreign secretary when Mr Mandelson was appointed to Washington, said the same in an interview with the Guardian published late on April 18.
Ms Kendall said Mr Starmer should remain in his job because he had “made the right call” on big issues, such as building closer relations with the European Union and limiting Britain’s involvement in the Iran war.
“I think he is an honest man and a man of integrity who says it was a mistake to appoint him,” she told Sky News.
Mr Lammy said it was “inexplicable” that the foreign office had kept Downing Street in the dark, telling the Guardian he had been “shocked and surprised” when he learnt what happened.
Mr Starmer, already widely unpopular with the British public due to several policy mis-steps, has faced repeated questions about his judgement for selecting Mr Mandelson whose friendship with Epstein was well known.
He sacked Mr Mandelson in September 2025 after new details emerged about the depth of Mr Mandelson’s ties to Epstein, who died in prison in 2019 while facing sex-trafficking charges.
UK police are investigating allegations of misconduct in office by Mr Mandelson when he was a Labour minister more than 15 years ago. He was arrested and released in February.
Mr Mandelson has not been charged and denies criminal wrongdoing. AFP