Starmer to face vote in UK parliament over inquiry into appointment of Epstein-tainted Mandelson

Britain’s parliament will vote tomorrow over a possible inquiry into Prime Minister Keir Starmer, looking at whether he misled the House of Commons over the appointment of former ambassador to the US Peter Mandelson, according to House of Commons Speaker Lindsay Hoyle.

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.

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 office says in response that the opposition Conservatives’ push for a vote on whether he misled the House of Commons over the appointment of Mandelson is a “desperate political stunt.”

“Their claims have no substance,” a Downing Street spokesperson says in a statement.