Starmer ‘has lost all authority’, says Plaid Cymru amid Mandelson row

Plaid Cymru has accused Sir Keir Starmer of “losing all authority” as Prime Minister amid increasing controversy over the appointment of Lord Peter Mandelson as the UK’s ambassador to the United States.

The party’s Westminster leader, Liz Saville Roberts, said the handling of the row raised serious questions about accountability at the highest level of government.

Her comments follow claims from senior ministers that Sir Keir was unaware Lord Mandelson had not been granted Developed Vetting (DV) clearance during the appointment process.

Speaking on Sunday, ahead of Sir Keir Starmer’s appearance before the House of Commons on Monday to address the row, she said: “The Prime Minister has lost all authority. If we accept Labour’s attempt to dismiss this as nothing more than a failure by officials, we are left with a serious conclusion – that the Prime Minister has outsourced responsibility, taken a back seat in his own government, and failed to assert the authority expected of his office in ensuring the right questions are asked.

“A Prime Minister with authority would make it clear to officials that responsibility for such consequential decisions rests squarely at the very top. That does not appear to have happened here.

“Peter Mandelson has a long and well-documented history of controversy, stretching back long before his appointment as US ambassador. For the Prime Minister to have shown so little curiosity about the vetting process is astonishing.

“Whether we accept Labour’s spin or not, it is clear that Keir Starmer has no authority and cannot remain in post’.”

Speaking earlier on Sunday, Technology Secretary Liz Kendall said the Prime Minister had been informed that Lord Mandelson had received the necessary clearance and would not have made the appointment had he known otherwise.

“He was told that he’d been granted developed vetting status,” she said, adding that the Prime Minister “would not have made that appointment” if he had been aware UK Security Vetting had not approved it.

The lates controversy surrounding Lord Mandelson’s appointment has been fuelled by reports that the Foreign Office overruled officials’ concerns during the vetting process.

Dismissed

Sir Olly Robbins, the department’s most senior civil servant, has since been dismissed after ministers said the Prime Minister had not been informed of the issue.

Lord Mandelson, who was appointed as ambassador to Washington DC last year, was later removed from the post after details of his association with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein emerged in US government files.

Downing Street has insisted Sir Keir only became aware of discrepancies in the vetting process earlier this week, following the release of documents requested by MPs.

The Prime Minister had previously told the Commons that “full due process” had been followed in the appointment.

Opposition parties have seized on the issue, with the Conservatives saying Sir Keir must “take responsibility” and the Liberal Democrats calling for an investigation into whether Parliament was misled.

Failure of leadership

Plaid Cymru said the episode demonstrated a wider failure of leadership, with Ms Saville Roberts arguing that responsibility for key decisions should ultimately rest with the Prime Minister rather than officials.

Sir Keir is expected to address MPs at Westminster on the issue, as calls for further scrutiny, and, from some quarters, his resignation, continue to grow.