Politics US & Canada Europe

Mandelson Vetting Scandal Intensifies

Mandelson Vetting Scandal Intensifies

Cabinet Office permanent secretary Cat Little told MPs that she was forced to contact a private vetting firm directly after Robbins withheld the peer's security files.

The scandal centers on allegations that Mandelson failed security checks due to his historical links to Jeffrey Epstein, yet was appointed by Prime Minister Keir Starmer regardless.

Cabinet divisions are reportedly growing as ministers struggle to defend the administration's handling of the process.

Starmer has dismissed the allegations as political attacks, insisting that 'due process' was followed.

Peter Mandelson World Economic Forum from Cologny, Switzerland, CC BY-SA 2.0
Peter Mandelson
British politician and life peer (born 1953)
Keir Starmer
Prime Minister of the United Kingdom since 2024
Cat Little
British civil servant
Olly Robbins
British civil servant
Jeffrey Epstein
American financier and sex offender (1953–2019)