British Prime Minister Keir Starmer has avoided a parliamentary investigation into his appointment of Peter Mandelson as ambassador to the United States, after the House of Commons voted down a motion to refer him to the privileges committee. The vote, held on Tuesday, saw 335 MPs oppose the probe against 223 in favour, a majority of 112 in the 650-seat chamber.
The motion, brought by Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch, accused Starmer of misleading Parliament over the circumstances of Mandelson's appointment in 2024. Badenoch argued that "full due process was not followed" and that it was "very obvious" that Starmer's statements to the House were "not correct."
Starmer has consistently denied allegations that his office exerted pressure on the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office to approve Mandelson's appointment despite the former Labour minister having failed security vetting. The controversy has dogged Starmer's government for months, hampering its agenda and prompting calls for his resignation.
Background to the Scandal
Peter Mandelson, a former European Commissioner and close ally of Tony Blair, was appointed as Britain's ambassador to Washington in 2024. However, it later emerged that he had not passed standard security checks, and that his friendship with the late US sex offender Jeffrey Epstein had not been fully disclosed. Mandelson was sacked by Starmer in September 2025 after further revelations about his ties to Epstein, who died in prison in 2019.
The scandal escalated earlier this year when Starmer's former chief of staff, Morgan McSweeney, and former communications head, Tim Allan, were forced to resign. On Tuesday, McSweeney told Parliament's foreign affairs committee that he made a "serious mistake" in advising Starmer to appoint Mandelson, but denied telling officials that Mandelson's vetting should be "cleared at all costs."
Starmer also sacked the most senior civil servant at the Foreign Office, Olly Robbins, for failing to inform ministers that Mandelson had not passed the checks. Robbins' predecessor, Philip Barton, told MPs that it was unusual for an appointment to be announced before the vetting process was completed.
The UK police are currently investigating Mandelson over allegations of misconduct in public office, related to claims that he leaked sensitive information to Epstein while serving as a minister more than a decade ago. Mandelson denies any wrongdoing.
Starmer, who commands a large majority in the Commons, branded the probe motion "a political stunt" ahead of local elections in England, Scotland, and Wales next week. Labour MPs were ordered to vote against the motion, though several dissented, including Brian Leishman, who said Starmer should have referred himself to the committee. MP Emma Lewell argued that the government's instruction to vote against "played into the terrible narrative that there is something to hide."
The privileges committee was previously responsible for the downfall of former Prime Minister Boris Johnson, who resigned as an MP in 2023 after the committee recommended his suspension for misleading Parliament over the "partygate" breaches of COVID-19 laws.
For further context on the broader Epstein-related investigations across Europe, see our coverage of Norway and France Launch Joint Probe into Diplomats' Epstein Ties. The ongoing fallout from this scandal has also been detailed in Starmer Concedes Error in Mandelson Appointment Amid Epstein Scandal Fallout.
