UK's Lammy signals support for PM Starmer over latest Mandelson

Britain's Deputy Prime Minister David Lammy signalled his support for Prime Minister Keir Starmer on Saturday over the ongoing row about the decision to appoint Peter Mandelson as ambassador to the United States.



Labour veteran Mandelson was appointed as ambassador by Starmer and subsequently sacked over his ties to the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, in a scandal that has brought the British leader's judgement into question.



Starmer on Friday faced renewed pressure to resign after the government said security vetting had recommended Mandelson not be appointed, but that Foreign Office officials had overruled that recommendation without the prime minister's knowledge.



Lammy, who was in charge of the Foreign Office at the time and is now deputy prime minister and justice secretary, told the Guardian newspaper it was inexplicable Starmer had not been informed of the initial vetting recommendation.



The comments come ahead of a statement in parliament on Monday afternoon in which Starmer has promised to set out the full facts of what happened.