Sir Keir Starmer couldn’t win on Monday. Either he had to admit he misled Parliament, or he had to admit how little he knew about what went on inside his own administration.

He chose the latter and showed what any fule kno: a lack of curiosity ain’t a good look for any prime minister. “I wasn’t told,” he said at least a dozen times.

Starmer may have acknowledged he made the “wrong” judgment by choosing Lord Peter Mandelson as UK ambassador to the USA, but doubled down in his blame of civil servants for not informing him that Mandelson, twice forced to resign from the New Labour government, had not passed vetting.

“I know many members across the House will find these facts to be incredible,” Starmer said. The House of Commons erupted in laughter, hoots and jeers. You could almost hear opposition parties making social media clips.

Starmer glanced up, surprised. “To that I can only say they are right. It beggars belief that throughout this timeline officials in the Foreign, [Commonwealth and Development Office] (FCDO) saw fit to withhold information from senior ministers,” he insisted.

The Prime Minister told the chamber that he only found out last Tuesday that the FCDO had granted Mandelson clearance against the express advice of UK Security Vetting (UKSV), the agency in charge of due diligence. He........

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