UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer is in deep trouble over his appointment of Peter Mandelson as Britain's US Ambassador and the scandal just keeps getting worse.

A December 2024 due diligence review flagged Mandelson's links to Jeffrey Epstein, China, and Russia but Starmer announced the appointment anyway.

UK Security Vetting officials recommended denying Mandelson clearance on January 28, 2025. Senior Foreign Office official Sir Olly Robbins overrode that decision the very next day, without telling ministers.

Mandelson was sacked in September 2025 after Bloomberg published emails showing he told Epstein he was "furious" about the financier's imprisonment for child sex offences.

Starmer told MPs he was "deliberately kept in the dark" — but critics say he should have asked more questions, given his background as Director of Public Prosecutions.

Sir Olly Robbins has since been sacked. New rules now require full security vetting before any ambassadorial appointment is announced.