MPs Grill PM Over Mandelson's US Ambassador Role

0:00It's April 20th, I'm Cory with the story, and this is Europe News Today. News from Europe powered by AI. UK MPs are set for an emergency debate on Tuesday to grill the government over accountability in appointing Lord Peter Mandelson as the U.S. Ambassador. The big issue? Mandelson failed key security vetting checks, but got the green light anyway for this top diplomatic spot. Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer says he had no clue about the failed checks, blaming top foreign office civil servants or Ali Robbins for keeping him in the dark. Starmer fired Robbins last week and insists he never would have picked Mandelson if he'd known the full story. Conservative leader Kimi Botanock slammed it as a national security mess, pointing out the Prime Minister admitted putting a known risk in the most. Sensitive role, opposition voices are accusing Starmer of not laying out the whole truth to Parliament. Starmer pushed back in a statement Monday, denying he misled MPs and claiming the proper process was followed despite the vetting's neck.

1:01No pressure from Downing Street to rush it through, he says. This debate could heat up fast, shining a light on how these high stakes picks really go down in government. Keep an eye on Tuesday for the real fireworks.