Conservative shadow chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster Alex Burghart said: “Allowing a scandal-ridden former minister access to highly-sensitive information before proper clearance is completely careless.”
The government has said it will review the national security vetting system, including seeking to improve the due diligence process and not announcing diplomatic appointments until security vetting has been completed.
The Liberal Democrats have said Sir Keir should refer himself to his own independent ethics adviser to determine whether he breached the Ministerial Code by assuring Parliament that “full due process” was followed during Lord Mandelson’s appointment.
Lisa Smart, the party’s Cabinet Office spokesperson, claimed the “evidence is mounting that he misled Parliament”.
The Conservatives called for an investigation into “a potential cover-up” regarding the Mandelson files and for Sir Keir to be investigated due to potential “deficiencies in the released material”.
Shadow chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster Alex Burghart, wrote to the Independent Adviser on Ministerial Standards Sir Laurie Magnus, calling on him to investigate if Sir Keir made “a possible breach of the Ministerial Code”.
Green Party leader Zack Polanski said Sir Keir “isn’t fit” to be prime minister and answers are needed about why he was “prepared to take such a reckless gamble with the reputation of our country”.
Lord Mandelson remains of the view that he did not lie to the prime minister, does not recall being asked questions about Epstein face-to-face during vetting interviews and answered written questions about his contact with the sex offender after his conviction truthfully and fully.
The peer has long argued that he accepted Epstein and his lawyer’s version of events and only discovered the truth after his death in 2019.
He resigned from the Labour Party in February and was arrested on suspicion of misconduct in public office weeks later, over allegations he had passed market-sensitive government information to Epstein when he was a minister.
He remains under police investigation but his bail conditions were lifted last week.
Lord Mandelson has repeatedly let it be known that he believes he has not acted criminally, did not act for personal gain and is cooperating with the police.
