Lammy Defends Starmer Over Lord Mandelson US Ambassador Vetting Row

Deputy Prime Minister David Lammy has said that Prime Minister Keir Starmer would have blocked the appointment of Lord Mandelson as UK ambassador to the United States had he been aware of security concerns raised during the vetting process, intensifying political pressure on the government over its handling of the appointment.

Speaking to the Guardian, Lammy stated that Starmer would “never, ever” have approved Mandelson’s appointment if he had known the Labour peer failed the required security vetting, describing the situation as “inexplicable.” Lammy, who served as foreign secretary at the time of the appointment, said neither he nor his team were informed of the outcome of the vetting process, suggesting the concerns were not escalated through normal governmental channels.

The controversy centres on claims that Mandelson was appointed to the Washington post despite being refused high-level security clearance, with Downing Street maintaining that the prime minister was only made aware of the issue this week. Lammy added that internal government pressure to fill the ambassadorial role quickly following Donald Trump’s return to the White House may have contributed to the appointment being rushed through.

The fallout has already led to the departure of Sir Olly Robbins, the Foreign Office’s top civil servant, who left his role amid the escalating crisis. Lammy described Robbins as an “outstanding” official and said he was “surprised and shocked” by his resignation, noting Robbins had only recently taken up the post when the vetting report was completed.

Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper has ordered a review into what information was shared with ministers and MPs, saying she is “extremely concerned” that warnings about Mandelson’s suitability were not passed on earlier. The BBC reported that the vetting assessment explicitly recommended against granting Mandelson access to sensitive material, further questioning how the appointment was approved despite these findings.

The House of Commons Foreign Affairs Committee is now expected to examine the issue in detail, with Robbins set to appear before MPs in the coming days. Senior political figures have criticised the government’s handling of the affair, with Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch accusing the administration of a failure of leadership, and Liberal Democrat leader Ed Davey calling for a formal investigation into whether Parliament was misled about the propriety of the appointment process.

Lord Mandelson took up the ambassadorial role in early 2025 but was later removed from the position. The renewed scrutiny over his vetting has brought the appointment process back into focus at a politically sensitive time for the Starmer government, as opposition parties ramp up calls for the prime minister’s resignation and accuse him of misleading MPs over earlier assurances that proper procedures had been followed.