How did we get here?published at 09:25 BST
Image source, ReutersPeter Mandelson’s appointment as UK ambassador to the US was announced in December 2024, with him taking the role up two months later.
In between, he underwent a high-level vetting process, carried out by a specialist agency within the Cabinet Office, which includes looking at his credit history and criminal record, as well as undertaking an interview.
His appointment has been under intense scrutiny after Mandelson was sacked seven months into the role over his links with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
Files into his appointment process have been released by the government for transparency.
On Thursday, the Guardian reported that Mandelson failed his security vetting, but the decision was overruled by the Foreign Office so he could take up the role.
Downing Street later confirmed the story and said that Prime Minister Keir Starmer did not know Mandelson had failed his security vetting until earlier this week.
And now the top Foreign Office civil servant Olly Robbins is being pushed out of his role in the fallout.
Starmer has already faced calls to resign over claims that he misled Parliament in September 2025, when he claimed three times that “full due process” had been followed in the appointment.
The latest revelation has renewed calls for him to step down.
