Keir Starmer faces a mounting political crisis as the Conservatives deploy parliamentary tactics that Labour itself used against Boris Johnson during the Partygate scandal. The prime minister is under fire over his appointment of Peter Mandelson as ambassador to Washington, despite vetting officials recommending he be denied security clearance.
The Guardian revealed last week that Mandelson was appointed despite written advice against granting him clearance. Starmer has admitted he was unaware of the advice, but the disclosure has triggered a series of parliamentary motions by Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch, including a humble address and an emergency debate.
Badenoch is now pushing for a privilege motion to investigate whether Starmer misled parliament when he repeatedly told MPs that “full due process” had been followed in Mandelson’s appointment. Misleading parliament is considered contempt and can lead to suspension.
Conservative strategists say they have learned from Labour’s playbook during Partygate, when Labour forced a privileges committee investigation into Johnson’s denials about lockdown parties. “We absolutely have learned the lessons,” one Conservative veteran said. “Our long-term strategy is to trap the prime minister progressively until he can no longer deny that he misled parliament.”
Mandelson, a Labour peer and former cabinet minister, was sacked as ambassador within a year after documents revealed his friendship with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein was closer than previously known. Starmer’s decision to appoint him had been controversial from the start, given Mandelson’s two previous resignations from government over separate scandals.
