Last night, Labour MPs voted overwhelmingly not to subject Sir Keir Starmer to an inquiry into whether he misled Parliament over his decision to appoint Peter Mandelson as US ambassador. The vote, held under a three-line whip, saw only 14 MPs defy the government, with around 50 abstaining. Those who disobeyed face censure or punishment.
It comes as no surprise that most Labour backbenchers chose not to fatally wound the Prime Minister ahead of next week's local elections and parliamentary elections in Scotland and Wales. However, while Starmer has won this skirmish, the broader war remains. Critics argue that the country is left in suspension as a desperate Prime Minister clings to office.
We now have a zombie government and a Prime Minister who has lost credibility both in the country and within his own party. Politicians are consumed by the Starmer-Mandelson psychodrama while the world faces an energy crisis and Britain drifts toward economic turmoil. A strong and stable government is needed now more than ever, yet the PM's main concern appears to be self-preservation, with some ministers openly disparaging him behind the scenes.
The Mandelson Affair
The Mandelson affair has exposed Starmer's true colours. At its heart are two deadly charges: that Number 10 pressured the Foreign Office to accelerate Mandelson's vetting, and that due process was not observed in appointing the 'Prince of Darkness' to Washington. Starmer claimed in the Commons last week that 'no pressure existed whatsoever'. Yet Sir Philip Barton, former head of the Foreign Office, told the Foreign Affairs Committee that he was 'told [by No 10] to get on with' vetting as quickly as possible.
Sir Philip added that he received a letter from Starmer's principal private secretary pushing through 'the necessary arrangement at pace'. If that does not amount to pressure, nothing does. Number 10 was plainly desperate to appoint Mandelson in December 2024, informing the King and the Trump administration before vetting began—a move Sir Philip acknowledged was unusual. He disclosed that No 10 initially argued vetting was unnecessary because Mandelson was a member of the House of Lords.
Sir Olly Robbins, who became head of the Foreign Office in January 2025, echoed this point, stating that No 10 showed a 'dismissive attitude' toward vetting. The Government's latest defence, used by Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson and former chief of staff Morgan McSweeney, distinguishes between wanting the job done quickly and asking for hurried vetting—a casuistical distinction that does not hold water.
Deception and Judgment
Starmer's relationship with the truth is variable. Many once believed this plodding, lawyerly creature had the virtue of honesty, but the Mandelson affair has shattered that illusion. He has exaggerated increases in defence spending and stealthily insinuated Britain back into the EU's orbit. He repeatedly claims that Tory leader Kemi Badenoch wanted Britain to join the US in its war against Iran—a serious falsehood. Accepting £32,000 in clothes and £2,400 for glasses from Labour peer Lord Alli does not speak to integrity.
The PM's judgment is also deficient. Why pick Mandelson of all people, and then expedite his appointment? Yet Starmer twists and turns, splitting hairs over pressure and pretending due process was followed when it clearly was not. Our benighted country remains in limbo until his inevitable fall, watching helplessly as this mendacious man clings to power.
