Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar has dismissed SNP calls for a parliamentary sleaze inquiry into Prime Minister Keir Starmer over the appointment of Peter Mandelson as UK ambassador to the US, branding the move a “political stunt” days before the Holyrood election.
Speaking on the campaign trail in Glasgow, Mr Sarwar stated that while Lord Mandelson should “never have been thought about as the ambassador to the US,” Scottish Labour MPs would not back a Commons Privileges Committee investigation. He argued the SNP’s demand was timed to influence next week’s Scottish Parliament election.
SNP Westminster leader Stephen Flynn had urged Mr Sarwar to order his MPs to support the inquiry, calling it “the ultimate test of your claim that you want him to resign.” However, Mr Sarwar reiterated his focus on removing the SNP from office in Scotland, insisting a vote for his party was not an endorsement of the Labour government at Westminster.
First Minister John Swinney backed the call for an inquiry, stating the Prime Minister should resign over the Mandelson affair, which has already cost several officials their jobs. But Mr Sarwar maintained that voters face a choice about Scotland’s future, not a judgment on Keir Starmer.
