Starmer questioned over ambassador security clearance failure

LONDON, April 17 (Xinhua) -- British Prime Minister Keir Starmer has been questioned after it was reported that Peter Mandelson took up the post as British Ambassador to the United States despite failing security vetting clearance.

The Guardian revealed on Thursday that Mandelson was denied the clearance in January 2025 after a developed vetting process, a confidential background check by security officials, but the decision was overruled by Britain's Foreign Office.

It's rare for civil servants to be given an outright denial in the vetting, and it's even more exceptional for a government department to overrule the recommendation from security officials, the report said.

The British government said Starmer was only aware of this until "this week," said media reports.

"Once the prime minister was informed, he immediately instructed officials to establish the facts about why the Developed Vetting was granted, in order to enact plans to update the House of Commons," British media quoted a government spokesperson as saying.

Conservative Party Leader Kemi Badenoch said Starmer was "misleading Parliament" when he said Mandelson's appointment followed "full due process," calling on him to resign.

Mandelson was sacked as Britain's chief diplomat in Washington in September 2025 after revelations about his friendship with convicted sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein.

Earlier this year, he was briefly arrested following a criminal investigation into his alleged misconduct in public office, including the possible disclosure of market-sensitive information. Enditem