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A former top Foreign Ministry official said on Tuesday he had faced “constant pressure” from U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s office to speed up the process to install his pick as U.S. ambassador, deepening a row that threatens the British leader.
A war of words over who should ultimately take the blame for appointing Labour veteran Peter Mandelson to Britain’s highest diplomatic post despite his past history and known ties to late U.S. sex offender Jeffrey Epstein has piled pressure on Starmer, prompting calls by critics for him to quit.
Starmer has said he was “wrong” to appoint Mandelson to the role and has expressed regret, but on Monday put the blame firmly on officials for failing to tell him that a security vetting body had advised against his appointment — something, he added, would have stopped him from employing the new ambassador.