Sir Keir Starmer will be fighting to save his job in the Commons today with a statement on exactly what he knew about Lord Mandelson's vetting.
In what Kemi Badenoch has branded a "shaming affair", the PM will face allegations he misled Parliament after telling MPs the proper process had been followed in appointing the Labour grandee as ambassador to the US.
"Keir Starmer is either grossly incompetent or a liar," Robert Jenrick said last night, adding his Government was "paralysed by a paedophile scandal".
The Foreign Office's top official Sir Olly Robbins was sacked last week after it emerged Lord Mandelson had been given developed vetting (DV) status despite failing security checks.
It also emerged that Sir Keir was told about the the warning signs which made the former peer fail his security checks - then "waved them away".
And today, the PM will try to explain how Lord Mandelson was able to take up his role without the Foreign Office revealing it had overruled the vetting decision.
One senior Government figure told The Guardian the next few days could be make-or-break for Sir Keir's career.
"We just don't know how it will all play out, but all roads lead back to the original sin: Keir's decision to appoint Peter Mandelson to Washington even though everybody knew it was high risk. This week could go either way," they said.
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Away from Labour... Reform UK pledges to deport 400,000 asylum seekers and 'reverse the invasion of Britain'
Nigel Farage is set to announce that a Reform UK Government would deport as many as 400,000 asylum seekers who broke into Britain illegally.
The Reform chief is set to commit to an immediate examination of all asylum decisions made over the past five years.
The review would track down anyone who entered illegally or overstayed their visa and subsequently claimed asylum - which home affairs spokesman Zia Yusuf pledged would "reverse the invasion of Britain".
"Reform will reverse this. Today we announce that a Reform Government will review the previous five years of asylum grants, and anyone who broke into the country illegally or overstayed on another visa will be stripped of their status and deported. We will do what it takes to restore justice in Britain," he added.
Labour's Lord Glasman leads calls for PM to resign - 'He CANNOT continue!'
Labour peer Lord Glasman has led calls from within Sir Keir Starmer's own party for the PM to resign with a withering attack yesterday.
"He cannot conceivably continue as a credible Prime Minister any longer. And that's all because he cannot say: 'I made a mistake, I'm sorry,'" the Blue Labour heavyweight warned.
When asked last night if he would apologise to MPs, Sir Keir told the Mirror: "I shall be making it absolutely crystal clear, as I have done a number of times - and I don't think anybody is disputing this - that I was not told that Peter Mandelson had failed his security vetting, and I should have been told."
Lib Dem chief Sir Ed Davey went on to accuse the PM of "catastrophic misjudgment" - and has demanded he face an inquisition from MPs on the privileges committee as well as a probe by the Government's ethics watchdog for alleged breaches of the Ministerial Code.
On Tuesday... Olly Robbins sets out the counter-argument
Sir Olly Robbins will have a day to reel from the PM's Commons statement before he answers questions from the Foreign Affairs Select Committee
| PASir Olly Robbins will have a day to reel from the PM's Commons statement before he answers questions from the Foreign Affairs Select Committee on the Lord Mandelson scandal on Tuesday.
He is currently reported to to be taking legal advice over his sacking as Foreign Office chief.
The Guardian reports Sir Olly feels "angry" at what he believes to be his "unfair treatment" by Sir Keir Starmer - and is determined to put out his side of the story.
RECAP:Â Keir Starmer 'WAS told about Lord Mandelson's red flags - then waved them away'
Sir Keir Starmer was told about the the warning signs which made Lord Mandelson fail his developed vetting security clearance, it has been revealed.
On Monday, the Prime Minister will tell the Commons it was "unforgivable" that he was not told that the Labour grandee had failed the process prior to his appointment as US ambassador.
But it has now been claimed that Sir Keir was already aware of his "red flags" ahead of the security protocol - then went ahead with his appointment anyway.
The UK Security Vetting agency (UKSV) recommended the rejection due to Lord Mandelson's ties to China and Russia, insiders said.
The Government claimed last week that the Prime Minister would have pulled the appointment if he had been made aware of the rejection.
“The reality is that Starmer had already been warned about the major risks and he had waved them away," one senior Whitehall source told The Telegraph.
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