LONDON: British Prime Minister Keir Starmer insisted on Wednesday that he would not resign, claiming allegations of misleading MPs over his appointment of a party loyalist as UK envoy to Washington had been “put to bed”.
Starmer, facing pressure to resign, addressed MPs after firing the Foreign Ministry’s most senior official, Olly Robbins, blaming him for failing to disclose Mandelson’s clearance problems.
The premier spoke to lawmakers a day after the foreign ministry’s most senior official, Olly Robbins, gave evidence to a parliamentary committee, having been fired by Starmer over the affair last week. Starmer has accused Robbins of failing to tell him about problems that emerged during Mandelson’s security clearance.
He has repeatedly insisted that, despite previously stating that “all due process” had been followed, he would not have allowed the appointment to proceed if he had known that independent vetting officials had recommended security clearance be denied.
Starmer told MPs that Robbins clearly answered “no” when asked if he had shared the recommendation “with me, number 10 or any other ministers”.
He said this clears all allegations of dishonesty against him, adding that although the opposition claimed it was shared with him, it was not. Mandelson was appointed to the top diplomatic post in December 2024.
The specific risks identified by vetting officials are unknown, but Robbins clarified they are unrelated to Mandelson’s ties with Jeffrey Epstein.
He alleged Downing Street pressured officials to approve the appointment, seemingly ignoring security concerns, with a demanding tone of “get it done”.
Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch questioned Starmer’s decision not to retract the appointment, despite other controversies.
Morgan McSweeney, Starmer’s former top aide who resigned over his role in the crisis, is to appear before lawmakers on Tuesday.
Published in Dawn, April 23rd, 2026
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