torsdag 16 april 2026
Epstein affair British connections
Information: Mandelson failed security clearance
The UK Foreign Office overrode a failed security clearance when appointing Peter Mandelson as US ambassador, according to an investigation by The Guardian.
According to several sources for the newspaper, Mandelson was rejected at the end of January 2025. But because Prime Minister Keir Starmer had already announced that he would be appointed ambassador, officials at the Foreign Office were left in a dilemma – and the security clearance was ignored.
It is unclear whether Starmer was informed of the result, as the UK Security Clearance Service (UKSV) issues its assessments as recommendations. It is also unclear who at the Foreign Office chose to proceed despite the objections.
Mandelson was sacked after information emerged about his contacts with the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. Keir Starmer has been criticized for appointing him, and Starmer has apologized for the
decision.
Opposition demands Starmer's resignation after Mandelson
The opposition in Britain is demanding that Prime Minister Keir Starmer resign after The Guardian revealed that Peter Mandelson failed the security clearance to become the US ambassador, several media outlets report.
"In these dangerous times, Britain cannot afford a prime minister the country does not trust. Starmer has failed our national security. He should resign," writes Tory leader Kemi Badenoch on X, according to Sky News.
Liberal Democrat leader Ed Davey is also demanding Starmer's resignation:
"If Keir Starmer has misled Parliament and lied to the British people, he must resign," he writes on X, according to AFP.
A government spokesman confirmed that the Foreign Office went ahead with Mandelson's appointment despite him failing the security clearance, but that neither Starmer nor the Foreign Secretary knew about it until this week, AFP writes.
After new revelations: Starmer urged to resign
Published 21.34
New revelations about British diplomat Peter Mandelson have accelerated the demands for resignation against Prime Minister Keir Starmer.
Mandelson, previously ambassador to Washington, was not approved when the security service carried out a background check before the appointment, The Guardian reveals.
Despite this, he became ambassador, a post from which he was fired last year when his frequent contacts with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein were discovered.
Starmer claims that he was not aware that Mandelson had failed the security check, and has said in parliament that everything went well.
– He should resign, says the Conservative party leader Kemi Badenoch according to the BBC, and is supported by the Liberal Democrats, the Reform Party and the Greens.
Nya avslöjanden kring den brittiske diplomaten Peter Mandelson har fått fart på avgångskraven mot premiärminister Keir Starmer.
Mandelson, tidigare bland annat ambassadör i Washington, godkändes inte när säkerhetstjänsten genomförde en bakgrundskontroll inför tillsättandet, avslöjar The Guardian.
Trots det blev han ambassadör, en post som han i fjol sparkades från när hans täta kontakter med sexbrottsdömde Jeffrey Epstein uppdagades.
Starmer hävdar att han inte kände till att Mandelson inte klarat säkerhetsgranskningen, och har i parlamentet sagt att allt gick rätt till.
– Han bör avgå, säger därför de konservativas partiledare Kemi Badenoch enligt BBC, och får medhåll från Liberaldemokraterna, Reformpartiet och De gröna.
Trump: Deal with Iran “very close”
Published 22.50
The US and Iran are very close to reaching a peace deal. This is what President Donald Trump tells reporters outside the White House.
According to Trump, Iran has agreed to a number of important points, “almost everything”, and not least not to enrich uranium to produce nuclear weapons.
– It is very important that Iran does not have nuclear weapons, and they have agreed to that. And they have done so with conviction, says Trump.
– They are willing to go much further today than they were two months ago, he continues, claiming that “they want to get a deal done, and we are very nice to them”.
According to Trump, the talks can resume this weekend. Iran has not commented on his statement, in which he also claims that Iran has agreed to hand over enriched uranium.
– If there is no agreement, the fighting will resume, he says.
But if the talks reach the point of an agreement, the president is prepared to go to Pakistan himself.
– If it is signed in Islamabad, I can go there, he says, praising the Pakistani mediators.
– The Prime Minister (Shehbaz Sharif) has been very good, so I might go there. They want to see me there.
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