Starmer-Mandelson latest: PM to face Commons vote today over misleading MPs in vetting scandal

Liveupdated{"lang":"en","timestamp":1777370335}NewsUKUK PoliticsStarmer-Mandelson latest: PM knew peer’s link to ‘toxic hot potato’ Epstein was risk, ex-Foreign Office chief saysThe top civil servant at the Foreign Office said he “was presented with a decision and told to get on with it”Dan Haygarth, Athena Stavrou, David Maddox & Kate DevlinTuesday 28 April 2026 10:58 BSTBookmarkCommentsGo to commentsBookmark popoverRemoved from bookmarksClose popover{"translations":{"comments":"Go to comments","share":"Share","copyLink":"Copy link","bookmark":"Bookmark","removeBookmark":"Remove bookmark"},"showComments":true,"showBookmark":true,"articleId":"b2965737","articleMeta":{"url":"https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/starmer-mandelson-vote-labour-mps-mcsweeney-live-updates-b2965737.html","title":"Ex-Foreign Office chief says PM ‘knew risks’ of Mandelson appointment - latest"}}CloseYour support helps us to tell the storyRead moreSupport NowFrom reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.Your support makes all the difference.Read more{}Keir Starmer was “informed of the risks” of appointing Peter Mandelson as ambassador to Washington, according to the ex-Foreign Office chief, who said he “was presented with a decision and told to get on with it.”Sir Philip Barton, who was the top foreign office civil servant at the time of the appointment, has revealed that he was not consulted about the decision to appoint Lord Mandelson by the prime minister and was only told about it on 15 December 2024, days before Sir Keir made the announcement.He told the Foreign Affairs Committee on Tuesday that: “The prime minister was informed of the risks [of the appointment] and had accepted them.”if (document.cookie.split(';').some(cookie => cookie.trim() === '__DEBUG__=true')) { console.log('Ad logs: "mpu1", renderedAtParagraph: 3'); }if (document.cookie.split(';').some(cookie => cookie.trim() === '__DEBUG__=true')) { console.log('Ad logs: "mpu1", injectedAtParagraph: 3'); }Asked if he had any concerns about the appointment, Sir Philip told the committee: “Around the possibility of his known connection to Epstein, causing an issue subsequently.“I didn’t know what was actually going to happen, because Epstein was such a toxic, hot potato subject in US politics itself, including in the election campaign.”The evidence of Sir Philip, to be followed by Sir Keir’s former chief of staff Morgan McSweeney, come on a crucial day for the prime minister’s political future - he will later face a crunch vote on whether he should face an inquiry into claims he misled parliament over the saga.RecommendedStarmer warns Iran war could put holidays and food shopping habits under…

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