Keir Starmer has survived a major Labour rebellion over a bid to force a parliamentary investigation into his appointment of Peter Mandelson as UK ambassador to the US. Downing Street deployed its full weight to block a referral to the privileges committee, but many Labour MPs warned the prime minister was running out of political capital.
The government won the vote 335 to 223, a majority of 112, after the Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch tabled a motion on whether Starmer had misled the Commons over Mandelson’s appointment. However, 15 Labour backbenchers supported the motion, and up to 53 MPs did not vote, raising concerns about internal dissent.
Rebel MP Emma Lewell criticised the decision to whip Labour MPs, saying it “played into the terrible narrative that there is something to hide”. One minister warned Starmer was in the “last-chance saloon”, while another said he had “only so much credit in the bank with the backbenches”.
In further damaging disclosures, Christian Turner, the new UK ambassador to the US, was reported to have said in February that Starmer’s future looked “quite touch and go” and that if Labour did badly in the May elections, the party might remove him. Meanwhile, Starmer’s former chief of staff Morgan McSweeney admitted Foreign Office officials came under intense pressure to expedite Mandelson’s posting, but denied they were asked to skip security vetting steps.
The scandal is expected to resurface next month when the Intelligence and Security Committee finishes reviewing key government documents. Starmer’s allies hope to limit the fallout, but the prime minister faces a challenging period ahead of local elections.
