Starmer must go
Reports today say Peter Mandelson was denied security clearance by UK Security Vetting before the Foreign Office overruled that decision.
This has raised questions over whether Parliament and the public were misled by Keir Starmer about what happened, with the PM having claimed that “full due process” was followed, and having stated that security vetting had cleared Mandelson for the role.
Scottish Greens Constitutional spokesperson, Patrick Harvie said:
“People are sick of seeing people in power who apply one rule for themselves and another for everyone else.
“If Peter Mandelson failed vetting and was waved through anyway, that raises extremely serious questions about judgment, honesty and accountability at the heart of Keir Starmer’s government.
“It also raises even more questions around why Keir Starmer was so keen to defend his appointment in the first place. It is a total disregard for the victims of Jeffrey Epstein, whose experiences are too often treated as secondary when powerful men are being protected.
“This is exactly the kind of arrogant abuse of power that fuels the public’s anger about the entire political process. Keir Starmer gave clear assurances to the public and Parliament which we now know were untrue. He cannot simply issue an excuse and carry on.
“This saga has gone on long enough and every revelation is making it even worse. Keir Starmer should resign, and Labour MPs must stop defending the indefensible.
“It adds insult to injury to know that one of the few Labour figures to call for Starmer to quit, Anas Sarwar, only did so because of his own falling poll numbers, and after calling Peter Mandelson his “old friend”. Nobody in Labour has shown a shred of principle throughout this scandal.”