Starmer Faces Heat Over Mandelson Ambassador Appointment

0:00It's April 21st. This is Canada News Today, driven by AI. UK Prime Minister Kier Starmer is spacing fresh heat over appointing Peter Mandelson as ambassador to the U.S. despite security red flags. Top diplomat Ali Robbins testified to Parliament that Starmer's office dismissed bedding concerns and pushed hard to get Mandelson in place fast. Treating it like a done deal before checks wrapped up. Mandelson's explained there was massive pressure from Downing Street to rush the process, with zero interest in potential risks, only when Mandelson could, start. Starmer fired him last year after closer Epstein linked surfaced, but those weren't the vetting issues at all. The real concerns hit on Mandelson's business ties to Russia and China, plus past scandals that forced him out of two labor governments. Vettings officials called it a borderline no-go, but foreign office folks figured they could handle the risks. Starmer claims he was in the dark and furious about it, blaming Robbins for not spilling

1:01details due to strict confidentiality rules. Opposition leader Kimi Botanox slammed it as a total mess, accusing Starmer of misleading everyone and skipping full due process. This testimony piles on the pain for Starmer, with rivals demanding he quit, write his local elections loom in England, Scotland and Wales where, labor could take a big hit.