Keir Starmer is once again preparing to fight for his political career as the Commons Speaker has determined he must face a vote regarding alleged misconduct. This development signifies yet another hurdle for the Labour leader, who is now under scrutiny for potentially misleading Parliament in the Mandelson affair.
Lindsay Hoyle, the Commons Speaker, has approved a debate on whether Sir Keir should be investigated by the privileges committee. The pivotal vote is scheduled for tomorrow, forcing Labour MPs to decide whether they will continue to support their embattled leader. Should the motion pass, it would trigger a formal inquiry into the matter.
The timing of the debate is critical, as it will coincide with testimony from Sir Keir’s former chief of staff, Morgan McSweeney, and a former head of the Foreign Office. Their statements could reveal significant insights into Mandelson’s controversial appointment.
In a bid to ease the pressure on Starmer, the Government had considered proroguing Parliament on Wednesday morning, which would have allowed him to sidestep the Prime Minister’s Questions. However, this option is no longer feasible since legislative tasks require completion before the parliamentary session concludes.
The Government had been pushing to prorogue Parliament on Wednesday morning, which would have allowed Sir Keir to avoid PMQs.
However, that is now impossible as legislation needs to be wrapped up before the session ends.
Downing Street has been mobilising the PM’s few remaining allies, with Labour veterans Alan Johnson and David Blunkett branding the privileges motion a ‘nakedly political stunt’.
However, the fevered mood in the party is intensifying as catastrophic local elections loom next week. There are claims that Andy Burnham has proposed a Blair-Brown style pact to Angela Rayner, making her his deputy if he takes over from Sir Keir.
Keir Starmer is staring down the barrel of a damaging Commons showdown on whether he misled the House over the Mandelson scandal
Sir Keir is struggling to shake free of the long-running row over Mandelson’s (pictured) appointment as US ambassador
The Speaker told the House that ‘numerous’ MPs had requested a debate and he was not taking a view on whether a formal referral should happen
Just 10 per cent of Brits believe Sir Keir has been a good PM, according to a YouGov poll
Labour MPs are braced for a moment of maximum political danger for the premier if the results are as bad as many fear.
Sir Keir tried to move on again this morning with his speech to the Usdaw conference.
Laying out a list of Left-wing achievements, the PM said: ‘The law of the land, for you and for every single person in this country, to finally enjoy the protections you deserve at work: sick pay from day one; paternity leave from day one; fire and rehire – scrapped; protection for whistleblowers; no more gagging orders on sexual harassment; no more exploitative zero-hours contracts; stronger collective consultation rights, and I know how important that is for shop workers.
‘And underpinning all of that, a proper living wage, the embodiment of the simple demand that has always guided the labour movement – a fair day’s pay for a fair day’s work. That is what we’ve delivered together.’
Sir Keir told the trade union activists he would ‘always fight for working people because I know exactly whose side I’m on’.
‘Let me tell you about another worker, a carer – works long hours on low pay, year after year after year,’ he said.
‘She was a care worker during the pandemic, 14-hour shifts, often overnight. And in the pandemic some care workers didn’t have sick pay.
‘So if they were sick, they had to stay at home and simply not get paid at all. In the pandemic, as we were all clapping them, recognising what they were doing for our country.
‘Well, delegates, that care worker is my sister. And every day I ask myself, does Britain work for her?
‘Does Britain work for people like my late brother? I had a life touched by opportunity. I grew up working class and I’ve been lucky. But Nick, my brother, he had difficulties learning and spent his entire adult life going from one job to the next. Does Britain work for people like him?’
Mr McSweeney – who resigned in February – will be grilled by the foreign affairs committee on his role in the appointment of Mandelson.
The MPs will also hear from Sir Philip Barton, who was head of the Foreign Office before Olly Robbins – summarily sacked last week for not telling Sir Keir that security vetting checks red-flagged Mandelson.
Foreign Office official Ian Collard, who Sir Olly said briefed him on the vetting findings, will also be giving written evidence.
The PM said last week any claims he misled Parliament had been put to bed by Sir Olly’s evidence.
But the Tories have called for Sir Keir to face Parliament’s Privileges Committee, the same body that investigated Boris Johnson over the Covid ‘Partygate’ affair.
It is up to Commons Speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle to decide whether to allow a vote, which would be likely to happen tomorrow.
That could also derail plans for tidying up a swathe of legislation before Parliament prorogues – which No10 had been hoping would happen before PMQs can be held on Wednesday.
Yesterday Cabinet minister Darren Jones accused the Conservatives of ‘using tactics’ ahead of local elections on May 7.
The clashes would happen tomorrow, the same day as Sir Keir’s former chief of staff Morgan McSweeney gives potentially explosive evidence about Mandelson’s appointment
There are claims that Andy Burnham has proposed a Blair-Brown style pact to Angela Rayner (pictured), making her his deputy if he takes over from Sir Keir
Mr Johnson and Lord Blunkett released a joint statement calling the move a ‘nakedly political stunt with no substance’ ahead of the polls.
They said a referral to the watchdog would be a waste of public money and that comparisons with Mr Johnson are ‘absurd’.
‘When Parliament referred that matter to the Privileges Committee, a police investigation had directly disproved his categoric statements that he knew nothing about the breach of lockdown rules including parties in Downing Street, and therefore he had a case to answer for knowingly misleading the House of Commons,’ they said.
