UK Government ‘asleep at the wheel’ over Mandelson, says Swinney

The UK Government is “asleep at the wheel”, First Minister John Swinney has said, as the Prime Minister faces increasing pressure over his hiring of Peter Mandelson.

Sir Keir Starmer will address MPs on Monday following revelations that Lord Mandelson did not pass vetting before he was appointed as US ambassador, something he claims he was not told.

Campaigning in Shetland on Monday, Mr Swinney said the UK Government had been distracted by the scandal when the focus should be on helping people with the cost of living.

He said: “The cost of-living-crisis is hurting people right across the country – and when people in Scotland look to their governments for help, the UK Government is asleep at the wheel.

“With people paying through the nose at the petrol pumps and on their energy bills, Keir Starmer and the UK Labour government are so weak and so distracted by the Mandelson scandal that they are doing nothing.”

The First Minister added: “Right now, the UK Labour government could put in place a series of practical measures that the SNP has been calling for – scrapping their hike to fuel duty, removing VAT from fuel and introducing a household energy price cap to save people hundreds of pounds.

“Instead they have done nothing, and are more concerned with saving Keir Starmer’s career than helping people.

“Yet again it is Scotland – and our rural and island communities in particular – that are paying the price for the failures of a Westminster system that just does not work for us.”

Mr Swinney touted his own party’s plans for what would be its record fifth term in government if the SNP were to win on May 7, including plans to cap bus fares at £2 per journey and put a ceiling on the costs of essential foods.

“That is what you get from me as First Minister and an SNP Government always on Scotland’s side,” he said.

Scottish Liberal Democrat leader Alex Cole-Hamilton said that the PM has “questions to answer about what he knew about the Mandelson vetting situation”.

He added that this was “a distraction on the issues that really matter”, telling the Press Association that people are losing trust in Sir Keir.

Mr Cole-Hamilton said: “There are standards in public office and if he is not meeting those standards, for example if he has lied to Parliament – and Keir Starmer did know that he had failed the vetting, he can’t remain as Prime Minister.

“We need to have trust in politicians, particularly in the highest office in the land, and I’m not sure the country has that trust in Keir Starmer any more.”

Scottish Greens co-leader Ross Greer said: “The Prime Minister should clearly resign. This is just one example of his catastrophic misjudgments in office.

“He forced through the appointment of Peter Mandelson, despite that well-known long-term association with Jeffrey Epstein, Mandelson maintained that relationship with Epstein even after he had been charged, even after he had been released from prison the first time round.

“The fact that he was still able to get one of the most prestigious jobs in the British Government because of Keir Starmer is outrageous. “