Full timeline of how Mandelson appointment scandal unfolded as Starmer claims he did not ‘mislead’ MPs

Sir Keir Starmer has denied misleading Parliament after extraordinary revelations that Lord Peter Mandelson failed a vetting before his appointment as US ambassador.

The revelations sparked new questions about who knew what and when about the colleague’s controversial post in Washington and its implications.

Here is the timeline of events:

– December 20, 2024 – Sir Keir said he was “delighted” to announce his selection of former New Labor minister and party ambassador Lord Mandelson as the UK ambassador to the US.

– January 8, 2025 – Senior civil servant Sir Olly Robbins has been appointed permanent secretary at the Foreign Office.

– January 28, 2025 – An official decision to refuse Lord Mandelson’s security clearance has reportedly been taken by the United Kingdom Security Review (UKSV).

– January 29, 2025 – Sir Keir told the House of Commons on Monday that Foreign Office civil servants granted precedent enhanced review despite UKSV’s recommendation that it be refused.

This allows him to see confidential information in his new role.

– February 2025 – Lord Mandelson makes the appointment and attends the White House welcome reception.

– September 8, 2025 – Pedophile financier Jeffrey Epstein’s infamous “birthday book” filled with personalized notes from associates when he turned 50 has been published by the US House Oversight Committee.

It includes a message from Lord Mandelson referring to the child sex offender as his “best friend”, increasing scrutiny on the UK Government.

– September 10, 2025 – The Prime Minister said he “trusted” his colleague and that “due process was followed” as questions emerged about the extent of the former Labor ambassador’s links to Epstein.

Downing Street also points out to reporters that Lord Mandelson has been subject to a “thorough review”.

– September 11, 2025 – Sir Keir sacked Lord Mandelson following mounting pressure to sack him following leaks of emails showing Epstein sending supportive messages despite facing prison for sex crimes.

The State Department said the emails show “the depth and scope of Peter Mandelson’s relationship with Jeffrey Epstein differed materially from what was known at the time of his appointment.”

Meanwhile, the Independent online newspaper reported that MI6 had failed to exonerate the former Labor ambassador; these claims were placed in 10th place.

The newspaper reported that a spokesman responded: “The review was carried out by the FCDO in the normal manner.”

– September 16, 2025 – Whitehall veteran Sir Olly and Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper say in a joint letter to the Foreign Affairs Committee: “Peter Mandelson’s security review was carried out to the usual standards set for enhanced scrutiny in line with established Cabinet Office policy.”

– November 3, 2025 – Sir Olly and former cabinet secretary and career civil servant Sir Chris Wormald appear before MPs to answer questions about the appointment process.

Sir Olly told the Foreign Affairs Committee that “it was clear that the Prime Minister wanted to make this appointment himself.”

“I therefore understand that the FCDO was informed of the decision and acted upon it and sought and obtained the King’s approval for the appointment through the Secretary of State,” he said.

Meanwhile, Sir Chris said it was “normal” for security clearance to occur after appointment but before the person signs the contract and takes up the post.

– February 2, 2026 – Sir Keir urges his disgraced counterpart to quit the Lords after the publication of another part of the so-called Epstein files; This leads to accusations that Lord Mandelson passed sensitive information to Epstein while he was business secretary in Gordon Brown’s government.

– February 3, 2026 – The Metropolitan Police launched an investigation into allegations of misconduct in a public office following the accusations against Lord Mandelson.

– February 4, 2026 – The Prime Minister said Commons Lord Mandelson “lied repeatedly” about the depth of his friendship with Epstein during the appointment process.

– February 5, 2026 – Sir Keir told reporters that a vetting carried out by the security services “allowed him (Lord Mandelson) for this role”, amid mounting pressure on the extent of what was known about his links to Epstein.

Sir Keir told reporters: “Then, I should add, the vetting that was carried out independently by the security services was an intense piece of work that cleared him for this role, and you have to do that before you start working.

“Clearly, both due diligence and vetting need to be revisited.”

– February 8, 2026 – Sir Keir’s chief of staff Morgan McSweeney, a long-time ally of Lord Mandelson, is leaving No 10.

“While I have not overseen the due diligence and review process, I believe this process now requires a fundamental overhaul,” he says in his resignation statement.

– March 11, 2026 – The first tranche of documents has been released in response to a House of Commons motion forcing the Government to disclose details of the appointment.

They reveal that senior officials had concerns about the appointment and that national security adviser Jonathan Powell believed the process was “oddly rushed.”

The files showed Sir Keir was warned of a “general reputational risk” before it was announced that Lord Mandelson had favored him because of his connection to Epstein.

The documents also include a note dated November 11, 2024; In this note, then cabinet secretary Lord Simon Case advised the Prime Minister to arrange for security clearances to be obtained for the US ambassador “before confirming your selection” if he wanted to make a political appointment.

The Civil Service chief said: “You must give us the name of the person you wish to appoint and we will develop a plan for them to obtain the necessary security clearances and conduct due diligence on any potential conflicts of interest or other matters you should be aware of before confirming your selection.”

– April 16, 2026 – The Guardian newspaper reported that Lord Mandelson failed the background check by security officials, but Foreign Office officials took a rare step and invalidated the decision.

Sir Olly was sacked and the Government said Sir Keir was not aware until earlier that week that the former Labor leader had been given an enhanced review against the recommendation of the UK Security Review.

– April 17, 2026 – Sir Keir said he was “furious” and that it was “inexcusable” that he was not told that UKSV had recommended against the permit.

– April 20, 2026 – In a statement to the House of Commons, the Prime Minister accused Foreign Office officials of not passing on the information, saying a “deliberate decision” had been taken on “repeated occasions” not to tell him that Lord Mandelson had failed the investigation.

He said he would not have gone ahead with the appointment had he known that UKSV had refused to ratify the precedent, and said he only learned of this on Tuesday last week.

Sir Keir also said: “I did not mislead the House of Commons. I accept the information I should have had and the information that should have been before the House of Representatives, but I did not mislead the House and that is why I have given the full account.”

– April 21, 2026 – Sir Olly will answer to MPs when he appears before the Foreign Affairs Committee on Tuesday.