MANDELSON ROW

UK PM says he won’t resign

AFP, London

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer yesterday insisted he would not resign, claiming allegations of misleading MPs over his appointment of a party loyalist as UK envoy to Washington had been “put to bed”.

Starmer’s remarks in parliament came as the beleaguered premier faced fresh calls to step down over his admitted error of judgement in appointing veteran former politician Peter Mandelson to the coveted post.

The premier spoke to lawmakers a day after the foreign ministry’s most senior official, Olly Robbins, gave evidence to a parliamentary committee, having been fired by Starmer over the affair last week.

Starmer has accused Robbins of failing to tell him about problems that emerged during Mandelson’s security clearance.

Starmer told MPs that Robbins clearly answered “no” when asked if he had shared the recommendation “with me, number 10 or any other ministers”.

“That puts to bed all the allegations levelled at me ... in relation to dishonesty,” he said.

The exact nature of the risks raised by vetting officials has not been made public. Robbins has said that they did not relate to Mandelson’s relationship with late US sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.