Sir Keir Starmer is due to face another difficult Commons grilling in PMQs as the vetting scandal around Lord Peter Mandelson shows no sign of abating.
On Tuesday, former Foreign Office boss Sir Olly Robbins, who was sacked last week, claimed there had been an “atmosphere of pressure” to get Lord Mandelson’s appointment as UK ambassador to the US over the line.
Speaking to the Foreign Affairs Committee, he said that Downing Street had a dismissive approach to vetting and wanted Lord Mandelson in Washington “as soon as humanly possible”. The claim was rejected by No 10, but later some Labour MPs voiced discontent during an emergency debate in the Commons called by Tory leader Kemi Badenoch.
Labour MP for Bradford East, Imran Hussain, said he wanted an independent inquiry into the “whole situation”, and for “consequences” for the prime minister. Labour MP for Liverpool West Derby, Ian Byrne, called for “a thorough review of the political operation which brought the prime minister to power” and warned of a “toxic culture” that had taken hold of No 10.
Chancellor Rachel Reeves told an event on Tuesday that she backed the under-fire prime minister, insisting there “is no leadership contest” when asked about the possibility of challengers to Sir Keir’s authority.
