LONDON: Britain’s parliament will vote on Tuesday on a possible inquiry into Prime Minister Keir Starmer, looking at whether he misled the House of Commons over the appointment of former US ambassador Peter Mandelson.
Any such inquiry could have serious implications for Starmer’s future. He has so far resisted pressure to quit over his decision to hire Mandelson, but if found to have knowingly misled parliament his position would likely become untenable.
House of Commons Speaker Lindsay Hoyle said he had approved a request from opposition Conservative Party leader Kemi Badenoch for parliament to debate and vote on whether the Committee of Privileges should look into the matter.
Mandelson was fired by Starmer last September after his relationship with the late US sex offender Jeffrey Epstein was found to be deeper than previously known.
That has raised doubts about Starmer’s judgment in hiring him, exacerbated by the revelation that a security vetting body had described the appointment as a borderline case and that it was leaning against granting clearance - a decision foreign ministry officials overruled without telling the prime minister.
Starmer’s centre-left Labour Party has a large majority in parliament, which could allow the government to instruct its lawmakers to vote down the launch of an inquiry.
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