Prime Minister Keir Starmer has successfully thwarted a Conservative attempt to refer him to a parliamentary sleaze inquiry concerning the Peter Mandelson appointment, following a day of intense Commons proceedings.
Government Whips Against Motion
Starmer instructed Labour MPs to vote against the Tory motion, which sought to trigger an investigation by the powerful Privileges Committee, dismissing it as a politically motivated stunt. Despite expectations of a backbench rebellion, a coordinated Downing Street operation appeared to avert a damaging defeat.
Cabinet Minister Darren Jones accused Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch of "ranting incoherence" and described the motion as a "politically motivated spectacle." Addressing MPs, Jones stated: "Rather than focus on the issues that affect our constituents and the country most, what do the opposition benches do? They try to shift the goalposts and have tried again and again to make their arguments fit. Today alone we have heard them bounce from one accusation to another in a desperate search for something that will stick."
Opposition Accusations
Earlier, Badenoch accused the Prime Minister of "whipping to avoid scrutiny," claiming: "They are being whipped today to exonerate him before the facts have even been tested. It is not for the first time I am having to tell Labour MPs that they are being stitched up."
Labour MP Emma Lewell expressed disappointment, stating: "I feel let down, disappointed, and I am angry. The way today’s vote has been handled by the Government smacks, once again, of being out of touch and disconnected from the public mood. The fact that MPs like me are being whipped into voting against this motion is, in my view, wrong. It has played into the terrible narrative that there is something to hide, and good, decent colleagues will be accused of being complicit in a cover-up."
McSweeney's Admission
The political clash followed revelations from Starmer’s former chief of staff, Morgan McSweeney, who admitted to making a "serious error" in advising the PM to appoint Lord Mandelson as US ambassador. During a Foreign Affairs Committee hearing, McSweeney stated he never ordered officials to bypass vetting procedures but acknowledged that No10 wanted the appointment made "at pace." He described the revelations about Mandelson’s relationship with Jeffrey Epstein as "like a knife through my soul." McSweeney conceded he should have asked the Cabinet Office’s propriety and ethics team (PET) to seek clarification from Mandelson rather than handling it himself, given their personal relationship.
Barton's Testimony
Former Foreign Office chief Sir Phillip Barton testified that Starmer was aware of the risks associated with Mandelson’s friendship with Epstein, whom he described as a "toxic, hot potato" in the US. Barton claimed he was not consulted on the appointment despite his concerns, stating: "There was no space, avenue, or mechanism for me to put that on the table; a decision had been taken." He found it "odd and insufficient" that the Cabinet Office initially deemed Mandelson did not require the highest security clearance due to his peerage.
Sir Phillip dismissed claims that McSweeney had told him to "just f***ing approve" the appointment but echoed his successor Sir Olly Robbins in saying Downing Street was "uninterested" in the vetting process, with officials under intense pressure to expedite Mandelson’s departure to Washington. He told the committee: "It would have been a crisis if we got to the point where he had no vetting clearance."
Leaked Recording Adds Pressure
In a further complication for the government, a leaked recording emerged of Britain’s new ambassador to the US, Christian Turner, criticising the special relationship. Turner suggested that the only country with a truly special relationship with America is Israel, not the UK, in remarks made during a February event with UK students in Washington DC. The Financial Times reported that Turner described the Mandelson saga as a crisis that "has nearly brought down the government and ended the Prime Minister’s tenure."
Turner expressed dislike for the phrase "special relationship," calling it "quite nostalgic, quite backwards-looking, and it has a lot of baggage about it." He added: "I think there is probably one country that has a special relationship with the United States — and that is probably Israel." However, he acknowledged the UK-US bond, stating: "There is a deep history and affinity between us. Particularly on defence and security, we are intertwined."
The leak comes at a particularly sensitive time, with US-UK relations already strained over the Iran war fallout and during King Charles’ historic state visit to the US. The Foreign Office dismissed the comments as "private, informal" remarks made in early February, insisting they "are certainly not any reflection of the UK Government’s position."
