Keir Starmer has defeated a major Labour rebellion aimed at forcing a parliamentary investigation into his appointment of Peter Mandelson as ambassador to the United States. The government won a vote on a Conservative motion to refer the matter to the privileges committee by 335 to 223, a majority of 112. However, 15 Labour backbenchers supported the motion, and up to 53 MPs did not vote, raising concerns about internal dissent.
Downing Street deployed its full weight to block the inquiry, but some Labour MPs accused the prime minister of leaving them facing accusations of a cover-up. Emma Lewell, MP for South Shields, criticised the decision to whip Labour MPs, saying it 'played into the terrible narrative that there is something to hide'. One minister warned that Starmer was in the 'last-chance saloon' and running out of political capital with the backbenches.
The scandal deepened after it emerged that Christian Turner, the UK's new ambassador to the US, had described Starmer as being 'on the ropes' over the affair. In private remarks in February, Turner said Starmer's future looked 'quite touch and go' but that he was a 'stubborn guy' unlikely to quit. He suggested the May elections could be a tipping point if Labour performs badly.
Morgan McSweeney, Starmer's former chief of staff, admitted that Foreign Office officials came under intense pressure to expedite Mandelson's posting but denied they were asked to 'skip steps' in security vetting. McSweeney told MPs that learning the extent of Mandelson's links with Jeffrey Epstein was like a 'knife through my soul' and that Starmer would not have proceeded had he known the full truth. The scandal is expected to resurface after the intelligence and security committee completes its review of key documents.
