Starmer faces vote on inquiry over Mandelson vetting claims

Starmer faces vote on inquiry over Mandelson vetting claims4 hours agoShareSaveAdd as preferred on GoogleKate Whannel,Political reporterandRichard Wheeler,Political reporterHouse of CommonsSir Keir Starmer is facing a vote by MPs on whether there should be a parliamentary investigation over his claims about the vetting of Lord Mandelson.Commons Speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle said he was allowing a debate on the matter on Tuesday and it would then be up to MPs to decide if the Privileges Committee should hold an inquiry. The prime minister has denied accusations he misled MPs over whether Lord Mandelson's vetting to be the UK's ambassador to the US followed "due process" and over his assertion that "no pressure whatsoever" was applied to officials at the Foreign Office.Sir Keir branded the move a "stunt" by the Conservatives and hinted he could order Labour MPs to vote against.Addressing a meeting of the Parliamentary Labour Party on Monday evening, Sir Keir also told his MPs: "Tomorrow is pure politics and we need to stand together against it."The BBC understands Labour MPs are likely to be whipped to vote down the Conservative motion to refer him to the Privileges Committee rather than being given a free vote.The vote will take place on the same day that former senior government figures are due to give evidence to the Foreign Affairs Committee, including the prime minister's former chief of staff Morgan McSweeney and former senior civil servant at the Foreign Office Sir Philip Barton.Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch said Sir Keir had misled Parliament "multiple times" on the subject.She urged Labour MPs to "look into their consciences" and back an inquiry by the Privileges Committee.A Downing Street spokesperson said the claims from the Conservatives "have no substance" and the government is "engaging with the two parliamentary processes that are already running" on Lord Mandelson's appointment "with full transparency".These include: the requirement to publish documents related to Lord Mandelson's appointment through a procedure known as a humble address; and the Foreign Affairs Committee holding evidence sessions to assess the vetting process.On Monday, the government published a letter from September 2025 in which the then-head of the Civil Service Sir Chris Wormald told the prime minister that "appropriate processes" were followed in the appointment.Written evidence from the Foreign Office done in consultation with Ian Collard, the civil servant who was head of security in the department, was also published on Monday by the Foreign Affairs Committee.It noted that Collard "felt pressure to deliver a rapid outcome" on Lord Mandelson's vetting clearance due to "regular contact from No 10" to the office of the department's permanent under-secretary.It added Collard "did not personally speak to colleagues in No 10" and he "does not assess that this pressure influenced the professional judgement that was reached by himself or his team".Labour has a majority in the House of Commons, so a large number of its backbench MPs would have to vote for an inquiry or abstain in order for one to be launched. The BBC has been told that cabinet ministers have been ringing round Labour MPs to convince them to back the prime minister and vote against referring the matter to the Privileges Committee. The committee can look into cases of MPs breaking parliamentary rules and in 2023 it ruled that the former Prime Minister Boris Johnson had misled MPs about…

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