A Government spokesman has confirmed Lord Peter Mandelson failed security vetting but has said Sir Keir Starmer was not “aware” the clearance had been granted.
The statement comes after it was revealed that Westminster sources were confirming the disgraced peer had failed developed vetting, but the Foreign Office utilised a rarely used power in overriding the decision, allowing them to push ahead with his appointment as the UK's ambassador to the US.
The spokesman said: “The security vetting process for Peter Mandelson was sponsored by the FCDO [Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office].
"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.
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“Once the Prime Minister was informed he immediately instructed officials to establish the facts about why the Developed Vetting was granted, in order to enact plans to update the House of Commons.
“The Government is committed to complying with the Humble Address in full as soon as possible.
“Any documentation within the scope of the Humble Address that requires redaction on the basis of national security or international relations will be provided to the ISC. This will include documents provided to the FCDO by UK Security Vetting.”
Lord Mandelson had been granted developed security clearance despite failing the vetting before he was appointed the UK’s chief diplomat to the US, the Guardian reported on Thursday evening.
The Prime Minister has asked the Foreign Office to quickly 'establish the facts' after the Government claimed Sir Keir only found out about Lord Mandelson's vetting failure this week
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Despite the claim that Sir Keir only found out about the vetting failure this week, politicians have called for the Prime Minister’s resignation.
Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch said Sir Keir had misled Parliament by saying “full due process” was followed, that he had wrongly said Lord Mandelson cleared the vetting, and that he failed to put out all documents required under a parliamentary measure to disclose details of the appointment.
She said: “Each of those three things is a very serious problem for the Prime Minister, unless he can prove all three wrong, he is definitely in resigning territory.
“There are not enough Conservative MPs to make that happen.
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Lord Mandelson was arrested on February 23 on suspicion of misconduct in public office over allegations that he had passed on market-sensitive government information to convicted paedophile, Jeffrey Epstein
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“However, Labour MPs now need to ask themselves, are we prepared to keep this man who has lied and lied again in Downing Street?”
The Prime Minister had previously shared that Lord Mandelson underwent a “security vetting” process by the security services, alluding that the disgraced peer had “lied” about the “extent of the relationship” he had with dead paedophile financier, Jeffrey Epstein.
Sir Ed Davey, Leader of the Democrats also weighed in, saying the Prime Minister needed to step down if he "misled Parliament" over the Peter Mandelson appointment scandal.
He said: “Keir Starmer had already made a catastrophic error of judgment. Now it looks as though he has also misled Parliament and lied to the British public. If that is the case, he must go.
“Labour came into government on a promise to clean up politics. Instead we’re seeing the same old sleaze, scandal and cover-ups as we did under the Conservatives.”
It appears that the Labour Party have set their sights on senior civil servant in the Foreign Office, Sir Oliver Robbins, as the Mandelson scandal’s latest scapegoat.
The Foreign Affairs Select Committee is planning to summon Sir Oliver Robbins over his previous account on the vetting process of Lord Peter Mandelson, reports the Guardian.
Emily Thornberry, committee chair, said: "Looking at the evidence that was given and the letters that have been written, to be charitable, there are glaring holes. It really is a question of whether we were knowingly misled."
Ms Thornberry also said on X: "My committee asked several times whether red flags had been raised by Peter Mandelson's vetting process.
"It seems there were. Who overrode these concerns? Why were we kept in the dark?
"People need to stop messing us about and tell us the truth."
The Green Party also called for Sir Keir to resign.
Lord Mandelson has declined to comment.
However, a friend of the peer told GB News: "Peter has absolutely no knowledge of this matter. This is the first he has heard of it.
"No one at any level, raised or explored any subject further with him following the vetting interview process and no issue has been raised with him since."