Watch live: Starmer faces more backlash from MPs over Mandelson vetting scandal at PMQs
Sir Keir Starmer faced a row during Prime Minister’s Questions in the House of Commons on Wednesday (April 22) amid ongoing controversy over the scrutiny of Lord Peter Mandelson.
The Prime Minister is under intense pressure over his decision to sack Foreign Office chief Sir Olly Robbins over the scandal; It comes after it was revealed the Prime Minister did not tell Sir Keir that Lord Mandelson was allowed to take on the senior diplomatic role despite vetting officials advising him otherwise.
Lord Mark Sedwill, the former cabinet secretary who led the civil service between 2018 and 2020, called on the Prime Minister to reverse the sacking. Lord Sedwill praised Sir Olly’s “calm honesty and intelligence” and declared: “The country needs him.”
The statement comes after Sir Olly appeared before the Foreign Affairs Committee on Tuesday and described a “condescending approach” from No 10 to an investigation and an “atmosphere of pressure” to ensure Lord Mandelson was appointed as Britain’s ambassador to the US.
When Sir Olly took over as Foreign Office chief in January 2025, Lord Mandelson had already gone through the Cabinet Office’s “due diligence” process, the King and the US had given him the go-ahead, and he had been given access to “highly confidential briefings” on a case-by-case basis, Sir Olly said; security clearance had not been approved.
The Mandarin told the committee this had resulted in a “condescending approach” to the development of the No 10 inquiry for the remainder of the process, but insisted it had been completed to the normal standard “despite this atmosphere of pressure”.
Downing Street rejected this, saying there was a distinction between “the idea of pressure” and “being informed about the process and the progress of the appointment”.
