Closing summary
That’s all from me, Tom Ambrose, and from the UK politics live blog for today. Thanks for following along.
Here is a round-up of the day’s headlines:
Keir Starmer said it is “unforgivable” that he was not told Peter Mandelson had failed to pass security vetting for the role of ambassador to the US. The prime minister said he was “absolutely furious” and it was “staggering” that he had not been informed the Foreign Office had overruled the recommendation from specialists in the UK Security Vetting team.
Tory leader Kemi Badenoch repeatedly branded Keir Starmer a “liar”, saying he had repeatedly “put his own self interest above the national interest”. Responding to a direct question about whether the prime minister had lied, she said: “You ask if I believe that the Prime Minister is lying? Yes, I do. The only other alternative is that he is so grossly incompetent he has no idea what is going on. He told me at PMQs, the full due process has been followed.”
A retired high court judge is expected to review Peter Mandelson’s vetting process and the wider national security vetting system. The review, commissioned by Downing Street, comes after a Guardian investigation revealing that security officials decided Mandelson should not receive developed vetting clearance, but were overruled by the Foreign Office to allow him to become US ambassador.
The Liberal Democrats have asked Keir Starmer’s ethics adviser to investigate the prime minister for failing to tell Parliament Peter Mandelson had failed his security vetting as soon as he became aware. In a letter to Laurie Magnus, Lib Dem frontbencher Lisa Smart said the prime minister “appears to have failed in his obligation to correct inadvertent errors ‘at the earliest opportunity’”, as required by the ministerial code.
Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar said Downing Street should answer questions in parliament, following the revelations about the vetting of Peter Mandelson. Speaking as he campaigned in Edinburgh for the Scottish parliament election, Sarwar said the scandal around Mandelson was the “tipping point” which led to his earlier call for Keir Starmer to quit.
Plaid Cymru leader Rhun ap Iorwerth has accused Eluned Morgan, the Labour first minister of Wales, of being “unwilling to speak out” following the latest revelations about the vetting of Mandelson. ap Iorwerth said: “Keir Starmer says it is ‘staggering’ he was not told that Peter Mandelson had failed security vetting. What is truly staggering is that he expects the public to believe him. It is now clear that he is either lying or utterly unfit to be prime minister. In the face of such serious questions, Eluned Morgan’s silence is indefensible.”
SNP Westminster leader Stephen Flynn has called on the prime minister to “do the right thing” and resign. Keir Starmer has faced more pressure to quit after it was revealed that the Foreign Office overruled a recommendation not to clear Peter Mandelson to be the UK ambassador to the US.
Former Labour leader Neil Kinnock has insisted that Keir Starmer will not quit over what he described as the Peter Mandelson “horror show”. “Keir is not going. If we subtract the Mandelson thing over the last day, or the last eons, regardless of the 8 May outcome, it is widely understood that the last thing the Labour party needs is the approach that the party, a party, is more concerned with its own welfare than the condition of the country,” he said.
Support for rejoining the EU rather than simply rejoining the single market is growing among British voters, with more than 80% of Labour, Liberal Democrat and Green party supporters favouring this option, research mapping voter attitudes 10 years after the Brexit referendum shows. But Labour’s “muted” approach means it now risks losing support among progressive voters and in “red wall” constituencies, experts have said as part of a research by Best for Britain.
Police in protective clothing are responding to an incident near the Israeli embassy in central London as counter-terrorism officers investigate a video shared online overnight in which a group claims to have targeted the embassy with drones carrying “dangerous substances”. The Metropolitan police said there was an increased police presence in Kensington Gardens as officers investigated a number of “discarded items” and have urged people to avoid the area while they carry out their work.
Reform UK leader Nigel Farage has called for the prime minister to stand down. Posting on X, Farage said: “It’s time for Keir Starmer to go.”
Keir Starmer is facing calls to resign after the Guardian revealed that Peter Mandelson failed the developed vetting process over his appointment as US ambassador – but was able to take up the post after the Foreign Office overruled the recommendation.
Here is the timeline of Mandelson’s controversial appointment and the fallout it has caused:
