Keir Starmer has told Labour MPs to “stick together and fight together” as ministers launched a major operation to shore up his position before a critical day for his premiership. The prime minister faces a standards investigation over his decision to appoint Peter Mandelson as US ambassador, and potentially damaging testimony from Morgan McSweeney, his former chief of staff.
Allies including Attorney General Richard Hermer and Foreign Office minister Jenny Chapman were among those who rang round Labour MPs before Tuesday’s Commons vote on whether to refer Starmer to parliament’s privileges committee. Senior Labour figures including Gordon Brown and former cabinet ministers Alan Johnson and David Blunkett called for restraint, dismissing the vote as a political stunt designed to destabilise the party before May elections.
Labour MPs will be whipped to vote against the Conservative motion, and any rebellion is likely to be limited. However, Starmer faces a second moment of jeopardy with McSweeney’s appearance before the foreign affairs committee inquiry into Mandelson’s appointment. McSweeney, who has taken “full responsibility” for advising the appointment, is likely to face questions on due process, including whether he pressured the Foreign Office. Philip Barton, the former top Foreign Office official, will also give evidence and may be asked whether McSweeney told him to “just fucking approve” the appointment.
In a further development, a letter from Ian Collard, the director of security who briefed on Mandelson’s vetting, revealed he had not seen the document recommending that security clearance be denied. Instead, he received an oral briefing describing the case as “borderline” that could be handled through “robust risk management”. He admitted feeling pressure for a “rapid outcome” but said it did not affect his final judgment.
Addressing Labour MPs, Starmer said: “This is not about a lack of transparency. This is a political stunt by our opponents… The timing tells you everything, nine days before local elections.” Downing Street released a letter from former cabinet secretary Chris Wormald concluding that “appropriate processes were followed”. The Tories have questioned Starmer’s claim of “no pressure whatsoever” on the Foreign Office, though No 10 says the comment referred specifically to security vetting.
