LONDON, April 20 (Xinhua) -- British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said on Monday that Foreign Office officials overruled the recommendation from United Kindom Security Vetting (UKSV) and proceeded to grant Peter Mandelson developed vetting clearance.
Accusing the Foreign Office of withholding the information that Mandelson initially failed security vetting for the role of U.S. ambassador, Starmer told the parliament that he only found out the fact on Tuesday.
The Foreign Office's power to make the final decision on developed vetting clearance was suspended immediately after the case came to light, Starmer added.
He also said he would not have gone ahead with appointing Mandelson as British ambassador to the United States, had he known that the UKSV recommendation was that developed vetting clearance should be denied.
In a fiery exchange in the House of Commons on Monday, Conservative Party leader Kemi Badenoch criticized Starmer, accusing him of breaching the Ministerial Code by failing to inform parliament in a timely manner about the vetting scandal.
The Ministerial Code states that ministers who knowingly mislead parliament are expected to resign, while any inadvertent error should be corrected "at the earliest opportunity."
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. ■