Keir Starmer has narrowly avoided a major Labour rebellion after MPs voted against a parliamentary inquiry into his appointment of Peter Mandelson as ambassador to Washington. The government won the vote 335 to 223, with 15 Labour backbenchers rebelling and up to 53 not voting. Downing Street deployed its full whip to block the motion, which was tabled by Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch.
Despite the victory, many Labour MPs warned the prime minister is running out of political capital. One minister described him as being in the 'last-chance saloon', while another said he only has limited credit with the backbenches. Rebel MP Emma Lewell accused the government of forcing colleagues into a 'cover-up' narrative.
The scandal deepened on Tuesday with revelations that the UK's new ambassador to the US, Christian Turner, told students in February that Starmer's future was 'quite touch and go' and that poor local election results could trigger his removal. Separately, Starmer's former chief of staff Morgan McSweeney admitted pressuring Foreign Office officials to expedite Mandelson's posting, but denied asking them to skip security vetting steps.
McSweeney told MPs that learning of Mandelson's ongoing links with Jeffrey Epstein was like a 'knife through my soul', and that Starmer would not have proceeded with the appointment had he known the full truth. The intelligence and security committee has finished reviewing key documents, meaning the issue may resurface next month.
