Keir Starmer says it is unforgivable he was not told Mandelson failed vetting

PM ‘furious’ as spokesperson insists Downing Street repeatedly sought facts of the case without being told Keir Starmer has said it was “unforgivable” that he was not told that Peter Mandelson had failed his security vetting before taking up his role as ambassador to Washington. The prime minister said he was “furious” about what had happened, as he insisted he had not known that security officials had recommended that Mandelson be denied clearance. Answering questions later on, Starmer’s spokesperson squarely blamed the Foreign Office, saying Downing Street had “repeatedly” sought the facts of the case but was not told. Asked if this amounted to a “cover-up”, the spokesperson did not reject this, saying: “Well, the prime minister was not informed and he’s made clear that it is staggering that he was not informed.” Speaking on Friday morning for the first time since the Guardian broke the story, Starmer said: “That I wasn’t told that Peter Mandelson had failed security vetting when he was appointed is staggering. “That I wasn’t told that he had failed security vetting when I was telling parliament that due process had been followed is unforgivable. Not only was I not told, no minis