Starmer Faces Firestorm Over Mandelson Appointment

0:00On April 18th, U.K. Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer is staring down two tough days next week as he fights the hold on to his job. It all stems from appointing Lord Peter Mandelson as ambassador to the United States. Even though Mandelson failed security vetting over his ties to, sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. Starmer points the finger at his recently sacked foreign office chief, Sir Ali Robbins, for not looping in number 10 on the vetting failure. Monday brings Starmer before MPs to explain why he claims he knew nothing about it. Then Tuesday, Sir Ali steps up to the Foreign Affairs Committee to defend his department's handling of the whole mess. Lord Simon McDonald, Sir Ali's predecessor at the foreign office, jumped in today to back him up. He called the sacking unfair, saying Sir Ali just follows strict legal rules on confidential vetting processes. McDonald accused number 10 of rushing to grab a scapegoat within the news cycle, without letting Sir Ali tell his side. Friends say Sir Ali is furious and plans to lay it all out in his testimony, even if he hasn't confirmed yet.

1:04McDonald stressed that vetting details stay secret by law, like medical records, and this case was gray, not clear cut failure. With the foreign office and its worst crisis in over 40 years and needing a new leader fast, Starmer's got to navigate this firestorm carefully too. Keep his grip on power intact.