UK PM Starmer faces vote on possible parliamentary probe over Mandelson

Starmer’s Labour Party has a majority in parliament, which could allow the government to instruct its lawmakers to vote down the launch of an inquiry.

A spokesperson from Starmer’s office described Badenoch’s push for a vote as a “desperate political stunt” ahead of local elections due on May 7.

Hoyle said his decision to allow the vote should not be taken as an indicator of whether Starmer had done anything wrong or not.

If parliament did vote in favour of an inquiry, the committee, made up of lawmakers from the three biggest parties, would examine whether Starmer’s statements on Mandelson amount to knowingly or inadvertently misleading the House of Commons.

The focus of any such enquiry would be expected to fall on Starmer’s statement that due process was followed when hiring Mandelson.

The committee previously found that former Conservative Prime Minister Boris Johnson had knowingly misled parliament over rule-breaking parties held during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Johnson had already stood down as prime minister by the time the report was published, but he resigned from parliament altogether after seeing a draft copy of the findings.