Mandelson failed security vetting. Starmer says he didn’t know

Primrose53

hoomee29

I think the witch hunt for Keir Starmer to resign is misguided. Who would take over? None of the potential candidates are particularly impressive. At least he is respected abroad. On a slightly different note, as previous posters have said - who exactly is running the country? Presumably the civil service who seem to have forgotten that they are servants of the people, there to carry out the policies of the government of the day rather than decide on their own agendas. It's there we should be looking and there we should be expecting resignations.

Are you saying rather than him going we should put up with him, however useless he is? 🤔

What I hear in that post is that internationally anyone else is likely to be more useless, because they haven't actually met any of the other protagonists that Starmer is dealing with - and international affairs are paramount at this critical point in history. The European and NATO cast of the current drama have been acting together in the same production for long enough to understand each other in discussions, and Starmer has met the main antagonist (Trump) and can stand up to him. Any new voice would take a while to settle in and catch up with attitudes and tones of voice.

At home, there are so many threads to get a hold of and weave together into improving weaknesses that a PM must spend 25 hours a day reading reports and checking that those delegated to read and condense some of them for him haven't missed an important detail. Being a Prime Minister is flippin' hard work. Each new PM finds that out for himself. Those who most want to take over the job are not necessarily the ones who have the stamina to do it successfully. IF the current one gets replaced, I would hope his replacement is as good as the outgoing one. I can't nominate anyone.

HowVeryDareYou2

MayBee70

HowVeryDareYou2

GrannyGravy13

MartavTaurus

I agree with what Kemi Badenoch says, either KS lied or he is hopelessly incompetent.

I fear you are correct on both counts

I hoped for better…

He's a weak, pathetic man, and a liar.

So who do you want to be leading the country at this moment in time?

MayBee70 Ideally, I'd like there to be a general election. There isn't one Labour MP who would be any good.

That’s all we need at the moment. A general election. Dare I ask who you would be voting for?

Allira

^Goodness knows what prompted Starmer to want him as ambassador in the first place.^

I thought because Mandelon is wily,devious and far cleverer than Trump.

However, he doesn't look so clever any more.
I wonder what his Grandfather would have thought?

Indeed. That occurred to us, too. Pretty appalled, probably.

A pretty terrible indictment of the current Labour party that it can find no one better than Starmer to 'guide us through the next few weeks', and he is the only one able to stand up to Trump. What news bulletins have you been watching?

eazybee

A pretty terrible indictment of the current Labour party that it can find no one better than Starmer to 'guide us through the next few weeks', and he is the only one able to stand up to Trump. What news bulletins have you been watching?

So which political leader do you believe has what it takes to steer us through these difficult times? And why?

Starmer should do the Labour Party a favour and resign.

He is so unpopular. Lifelong Labour voters won't be voting for Labour whilst he's in charge.

As for standing up to Trump, not really. No more than any other European country.

Starmer has been useless. And no, I've no clue who would take over but they couldn't be worse

This business of him not knowing is absurd. As has been pointed out, if the Independent knew about this last year there's no way he wasn't aware.

I’m a lifelong Labour voter and I want him to remain as leader. And he’s standing up to Trump by working with other European leaders, a relationship that the Conservative government tried to destroy.

REKA

Starmer should do the Labour Party a favour and resign.

He is so unpopular. Lifelong Labour voters won't be voting for Labour whilst he's in charge.

As for standing up to Trump, not really. No more than any other European country.

Starmer has been useless. And no, I've no clue who would take over but they couldn't be worse

This business of him not knowing is absurd. As has been pointed out, if the Independent knew about this last year there's no way he wasn't aware.

Even if everything you said was true (which I don't think has been in any way proved) do you honestly think it would benefit the country to go through the upheaval of electing a new leader of the Labour party to be the new PM? Cutting your nose off to spite your face has never been a sound strategy.
You don't have to be a Labour supporter or voter to realise this is exactly the wrong time for such upheaval. My vote has migrated amongst various parties over my lifetime, but I can honestly say I've always voted in the way I think best for the country at any given point.

Hear, hear, Rosie51.

Everybody has an opinion on this, don’t they?

There are so many media reports that say, Sources say this … , and, Sources say that … but nobody, as far as I can see, is named. David Maddox for the Independent was no different.

It reminds me of All The President’s Men about the Bob Woodard/Carl Bernstein investigation into Watergate for the Washington Post. A very angry executive editor Ben Bradlee says Goddamnit, when is somebody going to go on the record in this story? You guys are about to write a story that says the former Attorney General, the highest-ranking law enforcement officer in this country, is a crook! Just be sure you're right.

The same applies. People are accusing the Prime Minister of lying but nobody is going on the record.

As for learning about the processes involved in Mandelson’s appointment, I would urge people to watch the proceedings of the Foreign Affairs Committee on 3 November 2025 (text linked to above) and what Ollie Robbins and Chris Wormald had to say, although much of what they do say is tempered by rules of confidentiality.

www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/m002mqtf/select-committees-foreign-affairs-committee-on-the-appointment-of-lord-mandelson

I have to say I find Chris Wormald’s evidence confusing and at times contradictory.

He left his post by mutual agreement in February 2026. I do wonder whether the failures over Mandelson had something to do with it although he made it clear to the FAC that the processes described would have taken place under his predecessor Simon Case. The latter resigned on health grounds after taken leave of absence in the time proceeding that - which could raise questions over who was responsible for any failings durng that time. I’m left wondering why Case wasn’t called to give evidence. Although he retired on health grounds he has taken up appointments subseqently.

Robbins evidence to the FAC next Tuesday 21 April 2026 will be crucial in all of this.

With Starmer unfit for office who is there? They all are just now. That is why he remains.

It is not a universally held belief that Starmer is unfit for office. I do wish people would stop presenting opinion as fact.

Sometimes 'opinions' are simply wishes.

Starmer has been useless. In what way?
With Starmer unfit for office ..... In what way?

These blanket statements are simply tribal rankings.

Many gransnetters are not paid up Labour supporters but can stand back and see that we finally have someone at the helm who is able to hold his own internationally, stand up for UK interests and approach his role in a thoughtful way. He does not get everything right (who does?) but he is a breath of fresh air after the absence of gravitas and respect for democracy of what went before .... notably Johnson and Truss.

I can not believe this lying, deceitful imbecile is still my PM!

Rantings not rankings

love0c

I can not believe this lying, deceitful imbecile is still my PM!

That’s a bit harsh!

The more I read on this the less I am convinced that the PM was unaware of Mandelson’s failure to pass vetting until this week…

^ stand up for UK interests^

I think that is where he is at his worst.
That is one of the things that bothers me the worst.
[not meaning the wars].

May write more later.

I’m just the opposite GG.

The more I read (BBC News, Sky News) the more I’m convinced that KS did not know.

Supporters of Robbins say that he would not have told KS because that is the way the vetting process works.

Here’s just one example (of many):

“Prof Ciaran Martin, who has worked in government himself and so is schooled in the protocols of Whitehall, told The World at One on Radio 4 that Sir Olly was a stickler for exactly those precedents and was right not to tell Sir Keir Starmer, given how inevitably prying and personal the vetting process is.”

Source: Chris Mason, BBC News online

I would need hard evidence that Starmer knew about the vetting failure before passing judgement.
At the moment it is just supposition from those who wish Starmer gone for whatever motive they may have.

If it is proved that he allowed this then he would have to answer for it but it won't be good for the country if we lose Starmer at this critical time.

What I don't understand is how Mandelson could have fulfilled his role without security clearance .

I would rather KS stayed for the moment.

But, if I hear the words, I understand the strength of public feeling or I know how people feel again from him on Monday, I think I'll scream. It's rubbish.

I think this is a gift on a silver platter for the far right.

It plays into the "they are all the same" rhetoric.

The original sin is Starmer's in proposing Mandelson for the post of ambassador, a political appointment met with expressions of concern within No.10 and elsewhere. He resolutely ignored sage advice as to Mandelson's suitability, being determined to appoint him against all odds.. Pressure was put upon those facilitating the appointment 'to speed things up', 'weirdly rushed' said Jonathan Powell, before Trump's Inauguration.
A disastrous decision which has blown up in Starmer's face, caused damage to his Party, ruined his credibility,and won't go away.
Holding on to a disgraced leader, proved incompetent and untrustworthy, because there is no-one better to replace him is shameful. If a party with 404 MPs cannot produce a new Leader they should not be in power.
Personally, I would trust Kemi Badenoch, possibly heading a coalition, because we are in dangerous times.