Starmer's Mandelson Appointment Saga

0:00On April 28, UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer dodged a bullet this week when the House of Commons voted down an opposition push for a standards probe. Into his handling of Peter Mandelson's appointment as U.S. Ambassador, the vote was 335-223. Mandelson, a close friend of Jeffrey Epstein who failed security vetting, got the not anyway back in December 2024, right as Donald. Trump's second term kicked off. He was in a foreign office-filled heat from Starmer's team to rush the process, but Starmer claims he wasn't looped in on the vetting fail until later. His former chief of staff, Morgan McSweeney, owned up to recommending Mandelson for his trade expertise to seal a deal with Trump, calling it a serious mistake and apologizing to Epstein's victims. Reactions poured in hot from all sides. Opposition leader Kimi Bodinak slammed it as appointing a national security risk, urging labor not to cover it up. Even some in Starmer's own party air frustration, with one lawmaker saying it was a fundamental

1:03judgment fail that left folks angry and let down. McSweeney denied twisting arms to skip checks, and quit in February after emails revealed the depth of Mandelson's Epstein ties. Police launched a probe that month over claims, Mandelson leaked sensitive info to Epstein back in 2009, though he denies it and faces no charges yet. A top-ex civil servant confirmed Starmer knew the risks and signed off. This saga has Starmer clashing with his civil service and eyeing rough local elections on May 7th, where voters could hit labor hard and pile on. The pressure, you've been listening to Global News today, AI-powered Global Coverage.