Starmer's Mandelson Fiasco: Resignation Calls, Election Troubles

0:00It's April 20th. I'm Cory with the story, and this is US News Today National News, powered by AI. British Prime Minister Keir Starmer just admitted he messed up big time by picking Peter Mandelson as the UK ambassador to Washington. Mandelson failed his security vetting because of his close ties to Jeffrey Epstein, plus sketchy business links to Russia and China. Starmer got blindsided, saying he lacked key info at the time, and Mandelson got the boot just nine months into the gig. Turns out, the foreign office pushed through the appointment anyway, ignoring the red flags. Starmer swore up and down to Parliament that due process was followed, but now he's furious they kept the failed vetting from him. He fired the top foreign office civil servant, Oli Robbins, right after the Guardian broke the story last week. Opposition parties are piling on hard, with conservatives and liberal Democrats both demanding Starmer resign. They call it catastrophic judgment from a PM already stumbling on economic promises, public services, and cost of living fixes since his landslide win.

1:03Back in July 2024, new details from US Justice Department files in January show emails hinting Mandelson shared sensitive government info with Epstein back in 2009. British cops launched a probe and arrested him in February on suspicion of misconduct in public office, though no charges yet and nothing on sexual. Meanwhile, Oli Robbins testifies the Parliament's Foreign Affairs Committee tomorrow and with local elections hitting May 7th, this could spell. Real trouble for Starmer, it voters hand labor a beating.