Media: British PM faces sleaze inquiry vote over Mandelson appointment row

Sir Keir Starmer is set to face a parliamentary vote on whether he should be referred to a sleaze inquiry over the appointment of Lord Mandelson as ambassador to the United States.

Sir Lindsay Hoyle, the Speaker of the House of Commons, is expected to permit a debate and vote on April 27 on whether to send the Prime Minister to the privileges committee over allegations that he misled MPs, The Times reports.

Opposition parties, including the Conservatives, accuse Sir Keir Starmer of having done so by stating that “due process” was followed in the appointment of Peter Mandelson, and that there was “no pressure whatsoever”.

Sir Keir Starmer’s claims were challenged last week by Sir Olly Robbins, whom the Prime Minister dismissed as permanent secretary at the Foreign Office. Robbins said there was “constant pressure” regarding Mandelson’s appointment.

Sir Lindsay Hoyle is expected to allow the motion for a debate and vote, as the procedural threshold for doing so is “relatively low”. Parliamentary rules require that complaints must not be “frivolous”.

Sir Keir Starmer is expected to instruct Labour MPs to vote against any attempt to refer him to a parliamentary investigation.

Keir Starmer is facing mounting political pressure as the row intensifies in Westminster, with scrutiny focusing on the decision-making process behind one of the government’s most sensitive diplomatic appointments.

Lindsay Hoyle, as Speaker, will play a central procedural role in determining how the issue proceeds in the Commons.

By Aghakazim Guliyev