Damning report by MPs rejects Keir Starmer's claim that 'due process' was followed in 'disastrous' appointment of Peter Mandelson as US Ambassador

By MARTIN BECKFORD, POLICY EDITOR Published: 00:01, 9 July 2026 | Updated: 00:04, 9 July 2026 Sir Keir Starmer faces fresh humiliation over his 'disastrous' decision to make Peter Mandelson US ambassador as a damning report rejects his assurance it was done by the book. A powerful group of MPs concludes that Downing Street 'forced' the appointment on the Foreign Office and that the process was 'being made up as it went along'. The Foreign Affairs Committee condemns the 'appalling' record-keeping by No 10 and the department, and says crucial security checks on the New Labour grandee was seen as an 'afterthought'. In another blow to the Prime Minister's reputation, the report accuses him of sacking the Foreign Office's top diplomat Sir Olly Robbins over Mandelson's vetting without knowing the full facts of the case. Committee chairman Dame Emily Thornberry said: 'Processes were rushed or simply not followed. The usual checks and balances were not made. Vital security checks, integral to our national security, seemed to be viewed as a nuisance. 'Mandelson's appointment was an unmitigated disaster for the country. It should never have been allowed to happen, and it cannot ever be repeated. To prevent anything similar from happening again, no public appointments should be made without security vetting having already taken place.' She added: 'Peter Mandelson's appointment has been highly damaging for the Government, painful and offensive to the victims of Jeffrey Epstein and it has diminished our country in the eyes of the world.' The day before Mandelson was sacked over his friendship with paedophile financier Jeffrey Epstein last September, Sir Keir defended handing him one of the most prestigious posts in the diplomatic service and told the Commons: 'Full due process was followed during this appointment.' Lord Mandelson at his Washington residence with Sir Keir Starmer in February 2025 But the new report states: 'This advice has been shown to be incomplete and Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) officials should have given the Prime Minister more information, both at the time of the appointment and in advance of the House of Commons statements.' In the wake of the sacking the Foreign Affairs Committee repeatedly asked ministers and top officials if security concerns had been raised but 'was not given the full story and answers were evasive'. Despite questioning senior mandarins and trawling though more than 1,500 pages of evidence on the scandal published by the Government, the MPs say there is 'no evidence' of who was first considered for the Washington posting or how it was whittled down to a shortlist. It is 'impossible to know' what Sir Keir's response was to the recommendation as no note could be found, nor is there any record of the meeting when he decided to go ahead with appointing Mandelson. The report points out that the incoming Trump administration wanted Dame Karen Pierce to stay on as ambassador and that Mandelson 'had a history of losing political jobs because of bad judgement and putting himself in a position of vulnerability to outside influence', as well as 'potential conflicts of interest' with his consultancy Global Counsel plus his 'known closeness to Jeffrey Epstein'. The MPs say they are 'surprised' that the Foreign Office was not consulted on the appointment, and that there was a 'dismissive view' by No 10 towards vetting Mandelson. Sir Olly 'believed that he was carrying out the wishes of the Prime Minister' when he approved Mandelson's appointment, and the committee says it was 'unsurprising' that he did so having been told the recommendation from vetting experts was it was a 'borderline' case. The report concludes: 'Sir Olly Robbins' subsequent dismissal by the Prime Minister therefore seems to have been taken without full due process and the establishment of the facts.' A Government spokesman said: 'We have already improved our processes to ensure that any politically appointed Ambassadors will have to undergo security vetting before they are announced or confirmed. 'The Prime Minister has commissioned an independent review of the National Security Vetting system, led by Sir Adrian Fulford, to ensure lessons are learned.'