From Newsgroup: talk.politics.misc
On 3/10/2026 11:42 AM, Bradley K. Sherman wrote:
The figure has
a democrat thorn of their own making.
London — When Keir Starmer was elected Britain’s Prime Minister nearly two years ago, his promise to a public weary of political scandals and
turmoil was that his government would be different.
Yet the furor over Starmer’s decision to appoint Peter Mandelson – whose close ties to sex offender Jeffrey Epstein would be detailed in files
released by the US Department of Justice – as Britain’s ambassador to
the United States is once again threatening to engulf his premiership.
Now, he faces a crucial week navigating the latest fallout from the
scandal, after it emerged on Thursday that Mandelson had failed in-depth security vetting conducted before his appointment in early 2025. Citing multiple sources, the Guardian reported that officials at the UK
Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office then used a rare authority
to override that recommendation, since Starmer had already announced Mandelson’s appointment.
Starmer insists he was unaware of the failed vetting, telling reporters
on Friday he was “absolutely furious” he had not been told.
In an attempt to quell the scandal, Downing Street effectively fired the Foreign Office’s top official, civil servant Olly Robbins, while
briefing media that his department had not informed Starmer of Mandelson having failed the security vetting.
But that has not halted the questions leveled against the government by opposition lawmakers and its own backbenchers. And Starmer faces further challenges this week: He is set to address parliament about the scandal
on Monday, while Robbins will testify in front of a parliamentary
committee on Tuesday.
https://www.cnn.com/2026/04/20/uk/keir-starmer-mandelson-epstein-vetting-intl --- Synchronet 3.21f-FreeBSD NewsLink 1.2