Keir Starmer is facing a critical day as the Prime Minister confronts a Commons vote on whether he should be referred to a parliamentary sleaze inquiry, following the emergence of new evidence in the Peter Mandelson scandal. The controversy centres on the appointment of Lord Mandelson as ambassador to the United States, with claims that Downing Street pressured officials to bypass vetting procedures.
Evidence from Senior Figures
This morning, Sir Philip Barton, the former top civil servant at the Foreign Office, is giving evidence to the Foreign Affairs Committee. He faces questions about the level of pressure exerted by Number 10 to push through Mandelson's appointment. Last week, his successor Sir Olly Robbins revealed that some in government saw no need to vet Mandelson at all. Later, at around 11am, Morgan McSweeney, Starmer's former chief-of-staff who resigned over his role in the scandal, will be questioned by MPs.
Commons Showdown
Commons Speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle has granted MPs a vote on Tuesday on whether to refer the Prime Minister to the powerful Privileges Committee, which previously investigated Boris Johnson's Partygate lies. While the motion is unlikely to pass due to Labour's large majority, it represents a moment of peril for Starmer as speculation swirls about his future. The Prime Minister has urged Labour MPs to 'stand together' against what he calls a 'political stunt' by the Conservatives.
Starmer told a packed meeting of the Parliamentary Labour Party: 'When we stick together and fight together we are so much stronger.' He dismissed the Commons bid as a 'stunt' by political opponents intent on inflicting damage before the May local elections. 'This is not about a lack of transparency,' he said. 'This is a political stunt by our opponents who want to bring us down, obscure our message, stop us getting on with our work.'
The Prime Minister accused the Conservatives of making 'totally baseless' and 'absolutely ridiculous' accusations against him, insisting the motion was 'pure politics'. Former Labour Prime Minister Gordon Brown has also urged the party to back Starmer, as a large-scale effort to shore up backbench support was under way on Monday night.
The Mandelson scandal continues to haunt Starmer, after it emerged that vetting officials had recommended against giving the so-called 'Prince of Darkness' clearance before his appointment to Washington. The vote on the Privileges Committee referral is expected to take place this afternoon, following the evidence sessions.
