Whitehall Security Chiefs Enraged by Starmer's Vetting Blame Game
Prime Minister Keir Starmer's attempt to deflect responsibility for the Peter Mandelson-Jeffrey Epstein scandal onto alleged vetting failures has provoked fury within the upper echelons of Whitehall's security establishment. Senior officials have condemned what they perceive as a crude effort to shift blame for a crisis entirely of the Prime Minister's own making, with the strategy backfiring spectacularly.
Vetting Line Dismissed as "Red Herring" by Insiders
Whitehall sources have reacted with particular anger to Starmer's Thursday press conference statement suggesting the vetting process surrounding Mandelson's appointment required examination. One senior official stated bluntly: "The vetting line's a red herring. There's only one person to blame for this. Keir Starmer himself." Officials are similarly incensed by what they describe as Starmer's "farcical" claim that Mandelson misled him about the extent of his ongoing relationship with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
Contradictory Evidence Set to Emerge
According to Whitehall insiders, Starmer's defense that he was deceived by Mandelson will collapse when new evidence is published. They point to a Cabinet Office "due diligence" dossier prepared for the Prime Minister that explicitly warned about Mandelson's connections to Epstein. A source familiar with the document revealed: "When that document is published it will clearly show Starmer was warned about Mandelson and his links to Epstein, and was explicitly told their relationship had continued after Epstein was first convicted. It's couched in classic Sir Humphrey language. But it's all there."
Comprehensive Vetting Process Already Conducted
The second critical issue involves the rigorous Developed Vetting (DV) process conducted to grant Mandelson access to highly classified government, diplomatic, and security service documents. This comprehensive examination, administered by the United Kingdom Security Vetting Agency (UKSV) rather than MI5, included detailed financial checks, family history reviews, contact analysis, and intensive face-to-face interviews.
A source explained: "This process is run by hard-bitten ex-spooks and coppers. Their primary job is to detect whether someone is lying to them. That's the biggest red flag of all. So this idea Starmer is peddling, that Mandelson successfully pulled the wool over everyone's eyes, especially when a lot of the information on him was already in the public domain, is ridiculous."
Questionable Questioning Process
A third area of concern involves queries reportedly made of Mandelson after the initial Cabinet Office dossier reached Downing Street. According to sources, Prime Minister's Chief of Staff Morgan McSweeney was tasked with asking Mandelson three questions, including one about claims he had stayed in Epstein's Manhattan apartment.
Starmer told reporters on Thursday that Mandelson implied these claims were incorrect, and he had "no reason to disbelieve him." This statement has been met with incredulity by Whitehall officials. One remarked: "The Prime Minister was presented with concrete evidence in the due diligence file of Mandelson's ongoing relationship with Epstein. But he's seriously claiming he decided to take Mandelson's word over the evidence his officials presented to him?"
Conflict of Interest in Investigation
Another source posed a potentially damning question: "If Keir Starmer genuinely wanted to get to the truth about Mandelson and Epstein, why did he send Morgan McSweeney to ask him all the difficult questions?" McSweeney is known to be a close personal friend of Mandelson's who actively advocated for his appointment.
The source continued: "If Starmer really wanted the full story, why didn't he send an independent, experienced member of the Propriety and Ethics Team to interview Mandelson? Why specifically choose one of Mandelson's best mates?"
Contradictory Public Evidence
Starmer's claim that Mandelson pretended to "barely know" Epstein has been described as "literally incredible" given the substantial public evidence contradicting this assertion. News footage shows Mandelson shopping for clothes with Epstein, while photographs capture them sharing a giant birthday cake in Epstein's Paris apartment. Detailed reports specifically noted Epstein maintained "a particularly close relationship" with Mandelson.
All this information was reportedly included in documentation specifically produced for and presented to Starmer. Officials question what more the Prime Minister expected from the vetting process. One asked pointedly: "If the photo of his prospective Ambassador blowing out the candles on a giant gateau with a convicted paedophile didn't cause him to question Mandelson's veracity and probity, what would have done?"
Dangerous Political Game
Britain's security chiefs understand precisely what is occurring. In what appears to be a desperate attempt to salvage his position, Keir Starmer is attempting to shift responsibility onto the security establishment. Given that some individuals involved possess considerable authority and experience, the Prime Minister may be engaging in a perilous political maneuver with potentially serious consequences.
