The Huffington Post
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer speaks as Starmer hosts social media industry leaders to discuss child safety online Thursday, April 16, 2026, in London. (Leon Neal/Pool Photo via AP) Keir Starmer sacked the top civil servant in the Foreign Office last night after the row over Peter Mandelson appointment returned. Hours after it was revealed that the ex- Labour peer failed security vetting but still got the top job as the UK’s ambassador to Washington, the prime minister fired Olly Robbins. According to the BBC and the Times , Starmer was “furious” after the Guardian reported that the Foreign Office had defied advice from the vetting process and appointed Mandelson anyway. No.10 insists neither Starmer nor his ministers were aware of this detail until this week. It read: “Neither the Prime Minister, nor any Government Minister, was aware that Peter Mandelson was granted Developed Vetting against the advice of UK Security Vetting until earlier this week.” It remains unclear why Mandelson failed the vetting and if Robbins was the person who decided to override security advice. Mandelson worked as the ambassador to Washington between February and September 2025 before he was fired as the depth of his relationship with convicted paedophile Jeffrey Epstein was revealed. He has denied any wrongdoing in connection to the disgraced financier. Mandelson is currently being investigated by police on suspicion passing market-sensitive information to Epstein when he was a minister under New Labour. The Conservatives, Reform UK and the Greens have all called for the prime minister to resign. They accuse him of misleading MPs when he told them in September that “due process had been followed” when it came to hiring the former ambassador to Washington. According to the Ministerial Code, ministers who knowingly mislead parliament are expected to stand down. Subscribe to Commons People , the podcast that makes politics easy. Every week, Kevin Schofield and Kate Nicholson unpack the week’s biggest stories to keep you informed. Join us for straightforward analysis of what’s going on at Westminster. Related... Starmer Under Fire Amid Claim Mandelson Failed Security Vetting Before Getting Top Job Keir Starmer Repeatedly Dodges Mandelson Questions In Bizarre PMQs Performance No.10 Admits Starmer Did Not Speak Directly To Mandelson Before Appointing Him As US Ambassador
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