Starmer Faces Grilling Over Mandelson Appointment Fiasco

0:00On April 17, Big Shake Up at the Foreign Office, top civil servant Olly Robbins is out after his team failed to loop in Prime Minister Keir Starmer. About Lord Mandelson, flunking security vetting for the U.S. Ambassador gig, Robbins lost the trust of Starmer and Foreign Secretary Evec Cooper, and he's effectively been shown the door. Turns out, back in January 2025, the Foreign Office got word that Mandelson didn't pass the top level developed vetting checks, but they overrode that advice and cleared him anyway. He stepped into the role in February 2025, only to get sacked seven months later over his links to Jeffrey Epstein. Now politicians from all sides are piling on Starmer, with Tories, Lib Dems, and even Greens calling for his resignation. They pointed his claim last September 10, during Prime Minister's questions, that full due process was followed in the appointment. Earlier this week, number 10 says, Starmer only learned about the vetting fail himself, and he's reportedly furious.

1:01The Foreign Office is scrambling to get the facts straight for his orders. Starmer set to face the House of Commons, with a statement on Monday, as MPs across the spectrum gear up to grill him on this mess. Keep an eye on the fallout.