WATCH IN FULL: Keir Starmer sets out 'staggering' timeline of Peter Mandelson vetting failure

Georgia Pearce
Mon, 20 Apr 2026 15:11:03 +0000

Sir Keir Starmer has set out the "staggring" timeline of Lord Mandelson's failed security vetting.

In a statement to the House of Commons, he told MPs: “Last Tuesday evening, April 14, I found out for the first time that on January 29, 2025, before Peter Mandelson took up his position as ambassador, the Foreign Official officials granted him developed vetting clearance against the specific recommendation of the United Kingdom Security Vetting that developed vetting clearance should be denied.

“Not only that, the Foreign Office officials who made that decision did not pass this information to me, to the Foreign Secretary, to her predecessor, the Deputy Prime Minister, to any other minister, or even to the former cabinet secretary, Sir Chris Wormald.

“I found this staggering and therefore last Tuesday I immediately instructed officials in Downing Street and the Cabinet Office to urgently establish the facts on my authority.”

He added: “I wanted that information for the precise and explicit purpose of updating this House.

"Because this is information I should have had a long time ago and it is information this House should have had a long time ago.”