Epstein-Linked Row: Starmer To Face Grilling By MPs Over Mandelson Vetting Failure Amid Calls To Quit

Last Updated:April 20, 2026, 12:42 IST

UK PM Keir Starmer faces calls to resign over Peter Mandelson's vetting failure and Epstein links, denies knowing of checks, sacks top official, ministers rally behind him

United Kingdom’s Prime Minister Keir Starmer is set to face intense scrutiny in Parliament on Monday as he attempts to contain a deepening controversy linked to former British envoy Peter Mandelson and the latter’s past association with late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

The crisis has added to mounting pressure on Starmer, whose popularity has already been under strain. Fresh demands for his resignation emerged after reports revealed that Mandelson was appointed as Britain’s ambassador to the United States in late 2024 despite failing security vetting checks. The Prime Minister has maintained that neither he nor senior ministers were informed of the failure, calling the lapse “unforgivable."

Starmer is expected to deliver a statement in the House of Commons before facing questions from MPs. He has placed responsibility on officials within the Foreign Office and dismissed its top civil servant, Olly Robins, last Thursday. However, former bureaucrats have accused him of shifting blame, with Robins due to testify before a parliamentary panel on Tuesday, potentially intensifying the political fallout.

Opposition figures have accused the Labour Party leader of incompetence and misleading Parliament. His earlier assurance that “full due process" had been followed in Mandelson’s appointment has come under renewed scrutiny.

Meanwhile, Downing Street has defended the process, arguing that existing rules allowed the Foreign Office to override vetting concerns without informing the prime minister. It also released a memo stating that the British PM only became aware of the issue last Tuesday.

Senior ministers, including Liz Kendall and David Lammy, have publicly backed Starmer, saying the appointment would not have been made had the clearance issue been known.

“I think he (Starmer) is an honest man and a man of integrity who says it was a mistake to appoint him (Mandelson)," Kendall told Sky News.

The controversy comes as police continue examining past misconduct allegations involving Mandelson, who denies wrongdoing. With local elections approaching, the episode has further clouded Starmer’s leadership, though there is currently little momentum within the Labour Party for a leadership challenge.

News world Epstein-Linked Row: Starmer To Face Grilling By MPs Over Mandelson Vetting Failure Amid Calls To Quit

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