LONDON, April 27 (Reuters) – Britain’s parliament will vote on Tuesday over a possible inquiry into Prime Minister Keir Starmer, looking at whether he misled the House of Commons over the appointment of former U.S. ambassador Peter Mandelson, the Times newspaper reported.
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.
The Times reported that House of Commons Speaker Lindsay Hoyle would approve a request for parliament to debate and vote upon whether the Committee of Privileges should look into the matter.
Mandelson was fired by Starmer last September after his relationship with the late U.S. 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 Labour Party has a majority in parliament, which could allow the government to instruct its lawmakers to vote down the launch of an inquiry.
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.
(Reporting by William James; Editing by Kate Holton and Gareth Jones)
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