The SNP has intensified pressure on Prime Minister Keir Starmer, calling for his resignation and launching a formal complaint over the Mandelson scandal following fresh revelations around security vetting and senior departures.
The intervention comes after claims that Peter Mandelson was appointed as US Ambassador despite failing security clearance, alongside growing criticism of how senior figures have been treated within the Prime Minister’s team.
SNP Westminster Leader Stephen Flynn MP said:
“The resignation of Olly Robbins does not get the Prime Minister off the hook, it only raises more questions.
“Keir Starmer has run out of excuses, and fall guys, to blame for his own bad judgement and incompetence.
“He should do the decent thing and resign before he is forced out.
“Starmer should have gone weeks ago, he was the one who insisted on Mandelson’s appointment and his judgement and credibility are fatally damaged.
“Starmer used to claim he always takes responsibility and never blames his staff, but throughout his time as Prime Minister he has repeatedly thrown others under the bus to save his own skin.
“The fact remains, Starmer chose to appoint Mandelson despite knowing he had maintained a relationship with Jeffrey Epstein, the world’s most notorious paedophile and convicted sex offender.
“Starmer chose to appoint Mandelson despite knowing his long history of scandals, which put the UK government into disrepute and forced him to resign multiple times.
“It’s no surprise he failed security vetting.
“The constant chaos and crisis at Westminster shows why people should vote SNP on 7th May to sack Starmer and secure a fresh start with independence.”
The party has also formally written to the Independent Adviser on Ministerial Standards, Sir Laurie Magnus, requesting an investigation into whether the Prime Minister misled the public over the vetting process.
This follows reporting that Mandelson’s security clearance was initially refused in January 2025 before being overruled by the Foreign Office, despite public statements suggesting he had passed the process.
Stephen Flynn MP said:
“Throughout the Mandelson scandal, the public has been unable to believe a word that Keir Starmer has had to say, from pretending he knew nothing of Mandelson’s friendship with the world’s most notorious paedophile, to making contradictory claims about the process followed when appointing him to the highest diplomatic office in these isles.
“Keir Starmer has been caught in what appears to be nothing less than a shocking lie, he claimed Peter Mandelson passed security vetting when we now know the very opposite to be true.
“Peter Mandelson maintained a close friendship with a man imprisoned for sexually abusing children, and Keir Starmer continues to demonstrate that he could not care less.
“The contrast between the bravery of the survivors of Epstein’s abuse and Starmer’s cowardly lies could not be clearer.
“These new revelations are the most serious yet for the Prime Minister.
“It is vital that we learn when Starmer knew that Mandelson’s clearance had been refused, and what role he played in overruling that decision.
“This disgusting scandal will be the defining one of Keir Starmer’s short time in office.
“The public, and survivors, deserve for every relevant detail to be made public by the Labour government.”
The developments mark a significant escalation in political pressure, with the SNP seeking both accountability and further scrutiny of the Prime Minister’s actions.
