Sir Keir Starmer will face MPs at Prime Minister's Questions on Wednesday, the final session before Parliament is prorogued, after Labour MPs defeated a Conservative bid to investigate claims he misled the House over the Peter Mandelson affair.
PMQs Set Against Prorogation
Wednesday's PMQs is the last before Parliament is suspended, or 'prorogued', ahead of a new session starting on May 13. The weekly grilling is expected to see further questions from the Conservatives about Lord Peter Mandelson, following a day when Labour MPs were whipped to oppose a Tory motion calling for the Prime Minister to be investigated over his insistence that due process was followed in the peer's appointment as ambassador to the US.
Tory Motion Defeated
The motion from Conservative Party leader Kemi Badenoch would have referred Sir Keir to the Commons Privileges Committee, echoing the process that ended Boris Johnson's political career. Mrs Badenoch has accused the Prime Minister of misleading the Commons when he claimed due process was followed and no pressure was exerted to grant Lord Mandelson security clearance against official advice. Despite a rebellion by 15 backbenchers, Labour MPs voted decisively against launching an investigation by a majority of 112, slightly less than the Government's working majority of 165.
Accusations of Cover-Up
Following the vote, Mrs Badenoch accused Labour MPs of being complicit in a 'cover-up', saying they would 'rue the day' they voted against an inquiry. Downing Street described the move as a 'desperate political stunt', adding the Government would co-operate with existing parliamentary inquiries into the Mandelson affair.
Intelligence Committee Progress
One of those inquiries took a step forward on Tuesday, with the announcement that Parliament's Intelligence and Security Committee (ISC) had finished reviewing the Government's requests to redact documents relating to the appointment before they are published in line with a demand from the Commons in February. The Government could still challenge those decisions at a private committee hearing, and it is unlikely that any further documents will be published before Parliament is prorogued on Wednesday. ISC chairman Lord Beamish said the committee had 'made exceptional efforts to ensure that it is not holding up the publication of documents' and any delay was 'in no way due to the committee's part in the process'.
Prime Minister's Denial
The Prime Minister has consistently denied misleading the House, leaning on the conclusion of former cabinet secretary Sir Chris Wormald that 'appropriate processes' were followed. However, earlier on Tuesday, former senior Foreign Office mandarin Sir Philip Barton declined to endorse Sir Keir's assessment, saying it was for MPs to form their own view. Sir Philip told the Commons Foreign Affairs Committee it was unusual for the peer's appointment to be announced before security vetting had been completed and suggested there was pressure to 'get on with' approving Lord Mandelson's developed vetting (DV).
Former Chief of Staff's Testimony
The committee also heard from Sir Keir's former chief of staff Morgan McSweeney, who insisted he did not 'ask officials to ignore procedures, request that steps should be skipped, or communicate explicitly or implicitly that checks should be cleared at all costs' during the appointment of Lord Mandelson.
Government Response
Speaking to broadcasters on Wednesday morning, Housing Secretary Steve Reed refused to say whether MPs who rebelled in Tuesday's Commons vote would lose the whip, or whether he would support that move. But he insisted 'a handful of usual suspects' on the back benches were 'not going to distract us' from delivering policy. 'That is what voters want us to focus on, not a handful of people that go off and don't play the team game with the rest of us,' he told Sky News. 'Ninety-nine per cent of us are united with the Prime Minister so that we can focus on the issues that matter.'
Ambassador's Remarks Add to Headache
Adding to the Government's headache on Tuesday was a report that Lord Mandelson's successor as US ambassador, Sir Christian Turner, described Sir Keir as being 'on the ropes' and said America's only 'special relationship' was with Israel. The remarks, obtained by the Financial Times from a private talk with a group of students in the US last month, were awkward for Downing Street as they emerged during the King's state visit in Washington DC. Asked about the comments on Wednesday, Mr Reed told Times Radio Sir Christian 'isn't Mystic Meg' and could not predict the Prime Minister's future. On whether the ambassador should apologise, he said: 'I don't think people have to apologise for every single comment that they make, no.'
