‘Starmer in peril’: what the papers say about Mandelson vetting row

On Thursday, the Guardian revealed that Peter Mandelson failed his security vetting clearance, but that decision was overruled by the Foreign Office to ensure he could take up his post as ambassador to the US. The revelation dominated the front pages on Friday, after Downing Street released a statement confirming the Guardian’s story. It stressed the prime minister had no knowledge that security officials advised Mandelson should not be given clearance, and said responsibility lay with the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office. The top civil servant at the Foreign Office, Olly Robbins, later left his post. In their exclusive story, Paul Lewis, Henry Dyer and Pippa Crerar revealed Mandelson was initially denied clearance in late January 2025 after a developed vetting process, a highly confidential background check by security officials. Keir Starmer had by then announced he would be making Mandelson the UK’s chief diplomat in Washington, posing a dilemma for officials at the Foreign Office, who decided to use a rarely used authority to override the recommendation from security officials. Under the headline “Mandelson hired after failing to pass vetting”, the Times notes the Conservatives had accused Starmer of “misleading parliament”. The paper says the revelations have “set off a new crisis for Starmer, whose premiership almost collapsed over the Mandelson scandal in February”. The Mail leads with “Starmer on brink as his Mandelson ‘lies’ are exposed”. The paper says party leaders have accused the prime minister of “lying to MPs and say he must now resign”. “Starmer accused of misleading Parliament over Mandelson” is the headline in the Telegraph. The paper quotes Conservative leader, Kemi Badenoch, who accuses the prime minister of misleading parliament. “I’m only holding him to the same standards to which he’s held previous prime ministers – that if they mislead Parliament, they should resign,” Badenoch says. The i leads with “Starmer in peril again as No 10 turns on the Foreign Office”. Noting that the prime minister is accused of misleading parliament, the paper goes on to highlight the “anxiety in No 10 – where Starmer’s team say he was not told Mandelson had failed vetting for the appointment until now”. “Starmer must resign after blatant lies to MPs” says the Express, noting the prime minister is facing multiple calls to quit. The Financial Times headline says “Starmer accused after revelation that Mandelson failed vetting for US post”. The paper highlights that the prime minister now faces questions over “why he previously claimed that the vetting process had given Mandelson ‘clearance for the role’.”