Starmer facing another bruising week over Mandelson vetting scandal

On Tuesday a British parliament committee is due to hear from Keir Starmer's former chief of staff, Cork native Morgan McSweeney

Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer awaits Secretary General of the Council of Europe, Alain Berset outside 10 Downing Street, London, ahead of a meeting. Picture date: Wednesday April 22, 2026.

 UK prime minister Keir Starmer is facing another bruising week as the fallout over the vetting for Peter Mandelson’s appointment as ambassador to Washington continues. 

Mr Starmer will seek to shift the focus when he gives a speech on efforts to crack down on shoplifting on Monday.

But he is facing mounting pressure over the revelations about the peer’s vetting process and Mr Starmer’s handling of it, including his decision to sack British foreign office chief Olly Robbins.

On Tuesday the Foreign Affairs Committee is due to hear from Starner's former chief of staff, Cork native Morgan McSweeney, widely regarded as a protege of Mr Mandelson.

He resigned in February over his part in the peer getting the coveted job.

The committee will also hear from Mr Robbin’s predecessor, Philip Barton, and receive written evidence from foreign office official Ian Collard, who Mr Robbin said briefed him on the vetting findings that deemed Mr Mandelson a borderline case and leaned towards recommending that clearance be denied.

Mr Starmer said last week any claims he misled the British parliament had been put to bed by Mr Robbin's evidence.

But the Tories have called for Mr Starmer to face the British parliament’s Privileges Committee, the same body that investigated Boris Johnson over the Covid-19 partygate affair, with reports that a vote on whether to refer the Prime Minister for such a probe could be held on Tuesday.

It is up to commons speaker Lindsay Hoyle to decide whether to allow a vote.

Chief secretary to the British PM Darren Jones on Sunday accused the Conservatives of “using tactics” ahead of local elections on May 7.

And Labour former cabinet ministers Alan Johnson and David Blunkett released a joint statement calling the move a “nakedly political stunt with no substance” ahead of the polls.

They said a referral to the watchdog would be a waste of public money and that comparisons with Mr Johnson are “absurd”.

“When parliament referred that matter to the Privileges Committee, a police investigation had directly disproved his categoric statements that he knew nothing about the breach of lockdown rules including parties in Downing Street, and therefore he had a case to answer for knowingly misleading the House of Commons,” they said.

- Press Association