The Prime Minister is facing mounting pressure to answer questions over his handling of allegations involving Peter Mandelson, following claims that Keir Starmer failed to act despite being aware of concerns months before Mandelson was removed from his government role.
The SNP has accused the Prime Minister of avoiding responsibility over allegations that Peter Mandelson leaked sensitive UK government documents to Jeffrey Epstein during his time as a Labour government minister.
Former Prime Minister Gordon Brown is reported to have asked the UK government to investigate the allegations on 10 September 2025, prompting renewed scrutiny of what the Prime Minister knew and when.
On the same day, during Prime Minister’s Questions, Keir Starmer told MPs he retained confidence in Mandelson as UK ambassador to the United States, despite Brown’s request and despite Downing Street officials already being aware of emails showing a supportive relationship between Mandelson and Epstein.
Peter Mandelson was dismissed from his ambassadorial post on 11 September 2025, yet five months later the UK government has not confirmed whether the allegations have been referred to the police or whether the public has been formally informed of the claims.
Questions have also been raised about what the Prime Minister knew before Mandelson’s appointment, after Financial Times journalist Jim Pickard challenged Starmer at a press conference on 4 January 2024 about Mandelson’s relationship with Epstein.
At that press conference, Starmer said:
“I don’t know any more than you and there’s not really much I can add to what is already out there I’m afraid”.
The SNP has criticised the Prime Minister for failing to act to remove Peter Mandelson from the House of Lords, arguing that only the Prime Minister can allocate parliamentary time for the legislation required to do so.
On Wednesday, the SNP confirmed it had reported Peter Mandelson to the Metropolitan Police and called for a full UK government investigation into his conduct, including the publication of all correspondence relating to his appointment as ambassador, his relationship with Epstein, and his actions while serving as a Labour government minister.
Commenting, SNP Westminster Leader Stephen Flynn MP said:
“The spotlight is now firmly on the Prime Minister.
“Keir Starmer cannot continue to dodge the serious questions about his own role in the Peter Mandelson scandal and he cannot shirk personal responsibility for removing his friend from the House of Lords without further delay.
“Keir Starmer’s judgement is under scrutiny and his future is on the line.
“He chose to disregard all the warnings and all the evidence.
“He appointed Peter Mandelson despite knowing about his past scandals and his established links to Jeffrey Epstein after he was convicted for paedophilia and sex offences.
“For months, Keir Starmer has tried to dodge responsibility, pass the buck and refused to take action against Peter Mandelson.
“He chose to protect Mandelson, retain his Labour Party membership and keep him on the Labour government payroll.
“It stinks.”
“There are now serious questions over the extent to which Keir Starmer was involved in the Mandelson cover up and what he knew when.
“He must come clean with the public over his role in this scandal and he must ensure urgent legislation is passed to remove Peter Mandelson from the Lords.”
