British PM Starmer under new pressure to resign over U.S. ambassador appointment

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer has no plans to resign over revelations that his scandal-tainted pick for U.K. ambassador to Washington was appointed despite failing security checks, officials said Friday.

LONDON — British Prime Minister Keir Starmer on Friday resisted demands he resign over revelations that his scandal-tainted pick for U.K. ambassador to Washington was appointed despite failing security checks.

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Starmer says he was unaware that the Foreign Office had overruled the recommendation of security officials in early 2025 not to give Peter Mandelson the job. Many considered Mandelson a risky appointment because of his past friendship with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

The top Foreign Office civil servant, Olly Robbins, took the fall for the decision and resigned late Thursday.