UK parliament votes against inquiry into PM Starmer over Mandelson

British lawmakers voted on Tuesday against ​launching an inquiry into ​whether Prime Minister Keir Starmer ‌misled parliament ​in statements about his decision to appoint Peter Mandelson as ambassador to the United States. Starmer picked ‌Labour veteran Mandelson for the top diplomatic posting in December 2024 and then sacked him last September when his ties to the late U.S. sex offender ‌Jeffrey Epstein were found to have been deeper than previously known.

The prime ‌minister has resisted pressure to quit over the matter, saying Mandelson lied about his relationship with Epstein. Starmer also said officials had kept information from him about the vetting process ⁠that ​would have stopped ⁠him making the appointment. On Tuesday, lawmakers voted 335 to 223 against asking the Committee of Privileges ⁠to investigate whether Starmer had misled the House of Commons on several matters, ​including by saying "full due process" had been followed around the appointment.

If the committee ⁠had found Starmer deliberately misled parliament, he would have been expected to resign. Starmer had criticised ⁠the ​attempt, led by the opposition Conservative Party Leader Kemi Badenoch, to launch an investigation, calling it a political stunt timed to sway voters before ⁠local and regional elections on May 7.

He ordered lawmakers in his centre-left ⁠Labour Party to oppose ⁠an investigation, resulting in the overwhelming rejection. Badenoch said it was a sign of Starmer's weakness that he had ‌to use ‌such an order.

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