The appointment of Lord Peter Mandelson to the position of US ambassador has been described as a “catastrophic error” by a former Conservative MP.
“As Christians, we will always care about acting with integrity. Sadly, the Prime Minister has fallen short in this sense,” David Burrowes told Premier Christian Radio. “I say it sadly, because we are desperate, whatever our political colour or hue, to have politicians who are full of integrity and walk the walk and talk the talk.”
The Prime Minister has faced intense scrutiny and calls to resign, after former Foreign Office chief Sir Olly Robbins claimed that Number 10 was “dismissive” of the fact that Mandelson had failed vetting checks, due to his close liaisons with the late paedophile Jeffrey Epstein.
Sir Keir Starmer insists he was not made fully aware of the situation, and that information was "deliberately" witheld from him.
Last week, he sacked Sir Olly Robbins for not disclosing that Lord Mandelson had failed initial security checks. Robbins only started his own job as Foreign Office chief after Lord Mandelson had been announced as US ambassador. He described himself as being "utterly devastated" at being sacked, claiming that he believed only the the vetting process' final verdict needed to be shared with ministers, rather than concerns from earlier in the process.
Former leader of the Liberal Democrats, Tim Farron, told Premier's A Mucky Business podcast that he could understand "some logic" behind the rush to appoint Mandelson.
"You can see a case for putting a big, ugly bruiser up [as ambassador], given this particular president of the United States," Farron said. "But clearly, he had failed a security vetting."
"It's right that we hold those in our highest positions to the highest level of integrity," Farron added. "It's not yet clear whether our Prime Minister has managed to achieve that."
David Burrowes told Premier that the whole epsiode has had a "corrosive impact" on public trust.
"The worst thing that could happen is that people, and certainly Christians, turn their back on the importance of leadership and needing to engage with politics," Burrowes said. "Starmer wants to be the straight guy, the lawyer who plays by the rules, who acts with full integrity, and ultimately he is the prime minister. He has to accept responsibility. Leadership comes with responsibility."