Burak Bir
16 April 2026•Update: 16 April 2026
Britain’s former ambassador to the US, Peter Mandelson, who has faced scrutiny over his links to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, failed his security vetting clearance before being appointed to the role, but the decision was overruled by the Foreign Office, according to a media report published on Thursday.
In an investigation, the British daily The Guardian reported that Mandelson failed his security vetting clearance, but the decision was overruled by the Foreign Office to ensure he could take up his role as ambassador to the US.
According to multiple sources, he was initially denied clearance in late January 2025 after a developed vetting process, a highly confidential background check by security officials.
Mandelson’s failure to secure vetting approval has not previously been publicly revealed, despite intense scrutiny over his appointment and the release by the government of 147 pages of documents intended to shed light on the case.
Following the report, a government spokesperson said that Prime Minister Keir Starmer had no knowledge that security officials advised Mandelson should not be given clearance and said responsibility lay with the Foreign Office.
"The decision to grant developed vetting to Peter Mandelson against the recommendation of UK Security Vetting (UKSV) was taken by officials in the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO)," said the spokesperson. a government spokesperson said.
Disclosures in the Epstein files show that Jeffrey Epstein made payments totaling about £55,000 ($74,000) between 2003 and 2004 to Mandelson or his partner, Reinaldo Avila da Silva, and covered Silva’s educational expenses.
Emails in the files also suggest Mandelson shared sensitive UK government information with Epstein during the aftermath of the 2008 financial crisis.
Starmer was 'furious'
Meanwhile, Downing Street insiders said Starmer was "furious" about having been kept in the dark about the vetting decision.
Peter Mandelson, a former British business secretary and ambassador to the US, was arrested in February on suspicion of misconduct in public office following the recent release of files related to American sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
He was released on bail, with his bail conditions dropped last month.
His reported ties to Epstein have fueled a political crisis described by some commentators as the most serious since the Profumo affair of the early 1960s, which ended the career of then-Secretary of State for War John Profumo.
Mandelson, long dubbed a political "spin doctor" and the "Prince of Darkness" for his strategic prowess and backroom influence, saw his decades-long career conclude with his resignations from both the Labour Party and the House of Lords.
He became British ambassador to the US in February 2025 but was sacked in September after Downing Street said new information about the depth of his relationship with Epstein had emerged.
Opposition reacts
Kemi Badenoch, leader of the main opposition Conservative Party, accused Starmer of misleading Parliament over Mandelson’s appointment and called for his resignation.
"I'm only holding him to the same standards to which he’s held previous prime ministers — that if they mislead Parliament, they should resign," she wrote on US social media platform X.
She said: "In these dangerous times, Britain cannot afford to have a prime minister whom the country doesn't trust. Starmer has betrayed our national security. He should go."
For his part, Ed Davey, leader of the Liberal Democrats, said Starmer should have told Parliament about the failed security vetting at the earliest opportunity, "not waited for the media to force the truth out."
"His failure to do that alone is surely a breach of the ministerial code," he added.
