Sir Keir Starmer has frantically tried to blame MI5 and MI6 for failing to flag the “depth and darkness” of Peter Mandelson’s ties to Jeffrey Epstein despite the links between the two being well-known as he grovels for his job. The Mail has more.

Keir Starmer frantically tried to spread the blame for his disastrous decision to make Peter Mandelson US ambassador today as he grovelled for his job.

The PM painted himself as a victim of the New Labour architect’s “lies”, claiming he believed assurances he “barely knew” paedophile financier Jeffrey Epstein – despite a litany of reports already having exposed their relationship.

Scrambling to save his own political skin, Sir Keir stressed he “understands the anger and frustration” of MPs, urging them to “remain focused on what we were elected for”.

Sir Keir attempted to throw MI5 and MI6 under the bus, suggesting they had failed to flag the “depth and darkness” of the ties between the two men.

He also insisted documents about the vetting process will be published “as quickly as possible” – pointing the finger at the police for the delay.

But the premier has been warned the “clock is ticking” on his leadership after an extraordinary Commons humbling yesterday, which left even loyalists admitting he is effectively finished.

Kemi Badenoch said it was now a “matter of when’” not if the PM will go, urging restive Labour MPs to talk to the Tories about triggering a vote of no confidence in the government – although that seems unlikely as it could trigger a General Election.

The meltdown was sparked when Sir Keir admitted at PMQs that he installed Lord Mandelson in the crucial US job despite knowing he stayed friends with Epstein after his conviction for sex offences.

The Government then tried to argue that details of Mandelson’s vetting process would need to be withheld for “national security” and “international relations” reasons.

But within hours Sir Keir was forced to U-turn by furious Labour MPs – including his former deputy Angela Rayner – threatening to vote for a Tory disclosure motion.

The cross-party Intelligence and Security Committee will now decide what material is released, with the chair warning “embarrassment” is not enough for evidence to be suppressed.

Read More: Starmer Blames MI5 and MI6 for Failing to Flag Mandelson’s Well-Known Epstein Ties