Has Keir Starmer just made his Peter Mandelson problem even worse?
The Prime Minister addressed the House of Commons in an attempt to draw a line under the controversy over appointing Peter Mandelson in 2025 – but has he made things worse?
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What’s the story?
The News Agents say there is a "gaping hole" in Keir Starmer's defence after the Prime Minister addressed the House of Commons on the appointment of Peter Mandelson.
Last week it was revealed that Mandelson was given the role of UK ambassador to the US, despite failing security vetting.
Starmer told the Commons that Foreign Office officials withheld details of Mandelson's failed security vetting, and how he had now changed the process in an attempt to stop this happening again. He did this in a lengthy explanation of the process of appointing Mandelson.
But The News Agents say this has come way too late – especially when someone like Peter Mandelson, who has been forced to resign from government roles on several previous occasions, is involved.
Starmer admitted that it has been government process to announce major appointments before vetting is carried out – which was the situation with Mandelson.
"We've got to do the developed vetting before we make an announcement," says Jon Sopel.
"That is still an unanswered question and a gaping hole in Starmer's defence."
‘A profound lack of curiosity’
Starmer was grilled on this by independent MP Diane Abbott, who listed Mandelson's previous sackings from government, and stated that most people in the UK don't care about the process of Mandelson's appointment as given by Starmer, they want to know why it happened.
Jon says that the government has not been thorough enough with Mandelson's appointment – before, during or after it took place.
"There's been a profound lack of curiosity, and an inadequacy of the research that has taken place since Mandelson was fired," he says.
"If Starmer had got to the bottom of it a lot earlier, then a lot of this pain and anguish that the government is going through right now would have been avoided."
Starmer told the House of Commons "there is no law" that prevents foreign office officials from "explaining matters to parliament".
The situation "could, and should" have been shared with the Prime Minister, he added.
He said had he known, he would not have gone ahead with Mandelson's appointment.
"It was a decision not to share that information, on repeated occasions," he said.
‘The worst example of siloed government’
Both Kemi Badenoch and Nigel Farage have accused Starmer of lying to the British public – but Jon disagrees.
"You're left with the impression that Starmer is a bit slippery and slightly disingenuous," he says.
"What you have seen is the worst example of siloed government, where you've got departments that are not talking to the centre, and the centre not talking to the departments."
He accuses Starmer of a "complete failure" to grasp the political machine of which he is a part.
"That is where Starmer finds himself now, and that is deeply damaging to his Premiership," Jon says.
"Keir Starmer was hoping that with his appearance in the commons today, he might be able to draw a line under the whole Mandelson mess.
"Has he almost certainly not."