Trump piles pressure on embattled Starmer over Mandelson scandal | UK | News
US President Donald Trump has weighed in on the storm surrounding Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s appointment of Peter Mandelson, a friend of sex offender Jeffrey Epstein and former Labor ambassador, as US ambassador.
The news comes as Starmer is fighting for his political survival, with critics across parties, including his own, calling on him to resign amid accusations that he breached ministerial rules by appointing Mandelson. Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch, in particular, was harsh in condemning the botched investigation of Mandelson by the security services, at odds with Starmer’s assurance to Parliament that process was being followed.
Trump’s tone appeared to put more pressure on Starmer at an extremely fragile time, and he ended his speech in a surprisingly conciliatory tone.
The President said via the Truth Social platform: “UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer has admitted that he ‘made the wrong decision’ when choosing his Ambassador to Washington. I agree, it was a really bad choice. But he has plenty of time to heal! President DJT”
What did Starmer say in his defense of Mandelson?
Prime Minister Keir Starmer told MPs on Monday it was “believable” that the Foreign Office had withheld explosive information about Peter Mandelson’s botched security investigation and apologized again for appointing Lord Mandelson.
Mandelson officially assumed the role of US ambassador in February 2025 and was dismissed seven months later due to his ties to Jeffrey Epstein.
Starmer argued that “I did not mislead the House” but instead argued that more information should have been given about Mandelson’s review.
On Monday, Starmer was “on the verge of bursting into tears” as he told the House of Commons about the appointment, according to a body language expert, and gave clear signs that he had “lost his cool” as he was questioned by MPs about the appointment of Peter Mandelson as US ambassador.
The Prime Minister accused former senior civil servant Sir Olly Robbins of deliberately keeping him in the dark after Mandelson failed to pass vetting checks before taking up the role.
The Prime Minister sacked Sir Olly from his role as a senior Foreign Office official after learning last week that Mandelson had been granted security clearance despite failing checks.
MPs will have the opportunity to further examine the government’s responsibility for the appointment during an emergency debate on Tuesday.
Starmer is on hold for now
The Prime Minister sacked Sir Olly from his role as a senior Foreign Office official after learning last week that Mandelson had been granted security clearance despite failing checks.
MPs will have the opportunity to further examine the government’s responsibility for the appointment during an emergency debate on Tuesday.
Appearing for the debate, Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch said it was a matter of national security because the Prime Minister had accepted that he had assigned a known serious security risk to our most sensitive diplomatic post.
Sir Keir refused to mislead the House of Commons in the face of accusations that he lied to Parliament by not giving the full picture of how Mandelson was given enhanced review (DV) status.
He said it was “unforgivable” that the full information about the appointment had not been announced, adding that this “wasn’t an oversight” but “a deliberate decision was taken to hold that material from me” on repeated occasions by the Foreign Office.
