Keir Starmer refuses to give up over Mandelson scandal as rivals say he is ‘unfit to manipulate’

The Labour leader faced calls to go from across the political spectrum after he was said to be “not fit to govern” by Tory leader Kemi Badenoch

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Defiant PM Sir Keir Starmer refused to quit last night amid growing uproar over Lord Mandelson’s chaotic US appointment.

The Labour leader faced calls to go from across the political spectrum after he was said to be “not fit to govern” by Tory leader Kemi Badenoch.

Insiders suggested that politically the PM was “a dead man walking” and he would have to leave office if pressure continues to mount.

Sir Keir hit back, saying he was “absolutely furious” he was not told that Mandy had failed to pass security vetting for the role of ambassador to the US.

But the Foreign Office had overruled the recommendation from the specialists in the UK Security Vetting team.

The PM said it was “staggering” and “unforgivable” to have been kept in the dark.

He responded by sacking top Foreign Office civil servant Sir Olly Robbins as he hit back in defiance of mounting criticism.

But Sir Olly won’t go quietly as he’s up for a grilling before the foreign affairs select committee on Tuesday.

He has become the third major figure to lose his position due to the controversies surrounding Mandelson’s appointment.

Sir Keir’s chief of staff, Morgan McSweeney, and his director of communications, Tim Allan, dramatically quit over the scandal within a day of each other in February.

And Sir Keir faces an almighty clash with MPs on Monday under pressure from opponents to resign for allegedly misleading Parliament over the situation.

The PM said he would “set out all of the relevant facts” to MPs to offer “full transparency and full accountability”.

Ms Badenoch accused Sir Keir of being “blinded by faith in his own righteousness” as she claimed his position is untenable.

The leader of the Opposition described the development as a “national disgrace” and called on the Government to “come clean” on what happened during Mandy’s vetting process.

She blasted: “Keir Starmer’s position is untenable.

“He has misled Parliament and he has misled the country on a matter of national security.

“Either he is lying or he is so incompetent he is unfit to run the country.”

Downing Street said Parliament “had a right to know” that Lord Mandelson had failed the vetting checks.

It claimed the Foreign Office had repeatedly failed to provide details to No 10 about the case.

Chief Secretary to the PM Darren Jones said Sir Keir had not lied to the Commons and was not considering his position.

Lord Mandelson was announced as the UK’s ambassador to the US in December 2024, before in-depth vetting had been carried out.

He formally took up the role in February 2025, and was sacked seven months later over his ties to the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.