Is Starmer on borrowed time? - The Latest
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What is the Mandelson vetting scandal and why is it significant?
This is The Guardian.
The Mandelson stuff, it's the story that doesn't go away. And this iteration of it is arguably the most difficult for the prime minister.
At the heart of this, there is also a judgment I made that was wrong. I should not have appointed Peter Mandelson. I take responsibility for that decision. Will the prime minister finally take responsibility and go? Yeah.
We hear this from Labour MPs, that even though they think that his position is probably ultimately terminal, they would prefer to do it later in the year, partly because that would mean that Andy Burnham might be an MP again, and he is seen by a lot of people as the one who could lead them to a better position.
Keir Starmer is fighting for his political future in the wake of the Mandelson vetting saga and ahead of the crucial May local elections. From The Guardian's Today In Focus, this is The Latest with me, Lucy Hough. Well, with me is Archie Bland, the Guardian's Head of National News. Thanks for dialling in, Archie. It's great to see you. So the sun is out.
How is Keir Starmer's political future impacted by recent events?
It's set to be a very beautiful weekend, but not one that is likely to be relaxing for Keir Starmer after the events of this week, but not least because he's likely going to be going to the Emirates tomorrow to watch Arsenal play. And perhaps the only thing more uncertain than his premiership is Arsenal's chances of winning the league. But Let's talk about what's happened this week, because there's been a few very significant interventions, hasn't there? There was, of course, Sir Oliver Robbins speaking to the Foreign Affairs Select Committee on Tuesday, the former Permanent Secretary of the Foreign Office, which we covered on Tuesday's show, but also Cat Little, who was the most senior civil servant in the Cabinet Office, who spoke of the fact that she was not given these key vetting documents related to the appointment of Mandelson in
as US ambassador, which again, pours yet more water on this claim from Keir Starmer that due process was followed.
Yeah. And, you know, it has felt like a week in which we have been exposed to the, although it's a cliche, the most Sir Humphrey-ish version of the civil service, in this case, in competition, because you've had these two accounts from these very senior civil servants framed in quite cautious and precise language that's often difficult to follow. You often feel like you need a PhD in this stuff to get your head around it, but actually that have been if this is possible, quietly explosive. So the thing about Cat Little's evidence, as you say, that was really significant is that she said that the Foreign Office, Ollie Robbins, refused to hand over this summary of Mandelson's security vetting to her.
And she was the person who was in charge of putting together the documents that Parliament had sought to be released by this mechanism called the Humble Address. So that's really important because it suggests that Robbins was perhaps taking a view that Parliament's right to see this material, even through the mechanism of the ISC, the security committee that is tasked with reviewing the most sensitive stuff, was at least in question. And that is something that puts a lot of pressure on him, even as he had previously put pressure on Keir Starmer.
What evidence has emerged regarding the appointment of Peter Mandelson?
So it has been a really difficult week for everybody involved. But by the end of it, it does feel like if Starmer had hoped that all of this evidence would put him in a stronger position, it still feels like a war between mandarins, but one that will ultimately rebound on him.
Yeah, and we've also had Sir Richard Dearlove, the former head of the British Intelligence Service, writing for The Guardian, criticising the decision of the Foreign Office not to reveal these vetting documents, but also criticising Keir Starmer's political judgment. And the two things are interlinked, as per his opinion.
Yeah, what Richard Dearlove has to say is really significant. He's a former head of MI6 and he is voicing something that I think is important to hear in this conversation, because whereas Ollie Robbins and quite a lot of the civil servants who have supported him have sought to cast it as entirely ordinary or at least understandable for the Foreign Office to override the decision of this group called UK Security Vetting,
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Chapters
7 chapters
1
What is the Mandelson vetting scandal and why is it significant?
0:00–1:14
2
How is Keir Starmer's political future impacted by recent events?
1:14–3:24
3
What evidence has emerged regarding the appointment of Peter Mandelson?
3:24–5:36
4
What are the implications of the upcoming local elections for Labour?
5:36–7:13
5
How are Labour MPs reacting to Starmer's leadership amid the crisis?
7:13–8:49
6
What challenges does Keir Starmer face in the wake of the Mandelson saga?
8:49–10:23
7
What does the future hold for Keir Starmer and the Labour Party?
10:23–12:24