Inside the room as Labour MPs give verdict on Keir Starmer’s Mandelson assertion
Keir Starmer delivered a Commons statement lasting more than two hours after it emerged Peter Mandelson failed security vetting for his appointment as Britain’s Ambassador to the US
Labour MPs listened to the PM’s words intently as he explained he did not know Peter Mandelson failed security vetting(Image: House of Commons/UK Parliament/PA Wire)
You could’ve heard a pin drop as Keir Starmer stood up in the Commons today.
The words that came out of his mouth mattered. Since it emerged Peter Mandelson had failed security vetting last week, Labour MPs have been anxiously waiting for answers.
While they were furious that the never-ending saga was once again dominating headlines, there appeared to be an indecision about how to react this time around.
As the PM kicked off his statement, Chancellor Rachel Reeves and Deputy PM David Lammy sat with steely expressions beside him, nodding along with his fury at Foreign Office officials for keeping crucial information from him.
But it was the rows of Labour MPs behind – with their eyes and ears locked on him – who would determine how severe this blow could be for Mr Starmer.
READ MORE: 10 major points as Keir Starmer says Peter Mandelson vetting scandal ‘beggars belief’
In the silent chamber, Mr Starmer mapped out the details of what happened in the lead up to Lord Mandelson’s appointment as Britain’s Ambassador to the US.
The dates, the documents, the missing pieces – a sequence of events that led to government ministers not being told the Labour grandee had failed vetting. It was a process that Mr Starmer said “beggars belief”.
He faced laughs and jeers from opposition MPs after he said many members “will find these facts to be incredible”. But many Labour MPs appeared to agree with him and expressed genuine astonishment that he had not been told.
Multiple MPs admitted their constituents are concerned to learn that “not a single democratically elected official in Government was informed”.
One MP text to say the PM had apologised for appointing Lord Mandelson over his links to Jeffrey Epstein and this was a separate matter for which the Foreign Office is to blame. Another MP said it had raised questions about the civil service “culture” and what else unelected officials could be hiding.
While there was some criticism from left-wingers including veteran MP Diane Abbott and long-serving Labour MP John McDonnell, Mr Starmer faced no demands to resign from his own side. Overall, Labour MPs appeared to believe his story.
But the PM is not out of the danger zone. A crucial evidence session tomorrow with Foreign Office chief Sir Olly Robbins – who is said to be “heartbroken” over his sacking – will be “more critical”, one MP admitted.
While Mr Starmer may have avoided political death today, there are two sides to every story – and MPs’ ears will once again be pricked today.
