LONDON (AP) 鈥� The former head of Britain’s foreign service said Tuesday he was pressured by Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s office to rush through the confirmation of as British ambassador to Washington, and claimed Downing Street brushed aside about the choice.
The testimony by Olly Robbins increases the heat on Starmer, who is over the decision to appoint Mandelson, a scandal-tainted politician and friend of , to one of the U.K.鈥檚 most important diplomatic posts.
Robbins, the former top civil servant in the Foreign Office, said there was an 鈥渁tmosphere of pressure鈥� from Starmer鈥檚 10 Downing St. office to approve the appointment so Mandelson could be in the post at the start of U.S. President 鈥檚 second term.
He told the House of Commons Foreign Affairs Committee there had been 鈥渁 very, very strong expectation鈥� that Mandelson 鈥渘eeded to be in post and in America as quickly as humanly possible.鈥� He said Downing Street had 鈥渁 generally dismissive attitude鈥� toward the requirement for tough security checks.
The prime minister fired Robbins last week after the revelation that Mandelson was approved for the job in January 2025 against the recommendation of the government’s security vetting agency.
Robbins said the vetting agency considered Mandelson a 鈥渂orderline case鈥� and was 鈥渓eaning toward recommending against鈥� giving him security clearance. Robbins cleared him anyway, based on advice that the risks could be managed, he said.
Robbins said the concerns about Mandelson didn’t relate to his relationship with Epstein, but he declined to explain to lawmakers what led the government’s vetting agency to flag him as a potential security risk.
Mandelson had to resign twice from senior posts in previous Labour Party governments because of scandals over money and ethics. A separate background report prepared before he was appointed ambassador flagged potential business links to Russia and China as a concern.
Politicians wanted the appointment approved
Starmer has called it 鈥渟taggering鈥� that Foreign Office officials failed to tell him about the security concerns, which he says he only found out about last week. Robbins said the rules bar details of the sensitive vetting process from being shared except in 鈥渆xceptional circumstances.鈥�
Starmer announced the choice of Mandelson in December 2024, before intensive security checks were carried out. Robbins said he was 鈥渧ery conscious鈥� that refusing Mandelson security clearance would have caused 鈥渁 real problem for the government and a problem for the country鈥� in its relations with the Trump administration.
Robbins declined to identify any individuals as being behind the pressure. Starmer’s chief of staff, Morgan McSweeney, a prot茅g茅 of Mandelson, , saying he took responsibility for the decision to appoint Mandelson.
The leader of the opposition Conservative Party, Kemi Badenoch, said Starmer “personally decided to appoint a serious known national security risk to our most sensitive diplomatic post.
鈥淭he prime minister is not fit for office,” she said. 鈥淚t is time for him to go.鈥�
Starmer acknowledged on Monday that he made the wrong judgment when he picked Mandelson for the job, but said he would have withdrawn the appointment if he鈥檇 known about the failed security vetting.
Starmer in September, nine months into the job, when new details emerged about his friendship with Epstein, a convicted sex offender who .
The U.K. leader has ordered a review of security concerns arising from Mandelson鈥檚 access to sensitive information while ambassador.
Questions over Starmer’s judgment
Critics say the Mandelson appointment is more evidence of bad judgment by a prime minister who has made since he led the center-left Labour Party to a in July 2024.
He picked Mandelson as ambassador despite being warned by his staff that Mandelson鈥檚 friendship with Epstein exposed the government to 鈥渞eputational risk.鈥� Mandelson’s expertise as a former European Union trade chief and contacts among global elites were considered assets in dealing with the Trump administration.
Starmer says he won’t resign, but the scandal has caused gloom among lawmakers in his center-left Labour Party, already anxious about its dire poll ratings. Starmer already in February, when some Labour lawmakers urged him to quit over the Mandelson appointment.
He could face a new challenge if, as expected, Labour takes a hammering in local and regional elections on May 7, which give voters a chance to pass a midterm verdict on the government.
Rob Ford, professor of politics at the University of Manchester, said that regardless of the complexities and blame-trading, the view of many voters boils down to: 鈥淜eir Starmer appointed Peter Mandelson. Peter Mandelson was a wrong-un and he hung out with Jeffrey Epstein.
鈥淎nd none of this that we鈥檝e seen today or any other day does anything except reinforce that,鈥� he said. 鈥淎nd that’s just disastrous” for Starmer.
Energy Secretary Ed Miliband said he had raised concerns about the choice of ambassador, but didn鈥檛 think Starmer should resign over the debacle.
鈥淚f every time a prime minister made a mistake they resigned, we would shuttle through prime ministers like nobody鈥檚 business,鈥� Miliband told the BBC.
Mandelson is under police investigation for suspected misconduct in public office after a released by the U.S. Justice Department in January included emails suggesting that Mandelson had passed on sensitive 鈥� and potentially market-moving 鈥� government information to Epstein in 2009, after the global financial crisis.
British police launched a criminal investigation and in February. Mandelson has previously denied wrongdoing and . He doesn’t face allegations of sexual misconduct.
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