Could Starmer face a Parliamentary sleaze inquiry?
Calls for Sir Keir Starmer to face Parliamentary sleaze inquiry over the vetting scandal of Peter Mandelson, but how likely is this and what would need to happen?
MPs are set to vote on whether Sir Keir Starmer should be referred to a privileges committee investigation over the vetting of Lord Peter Mandelson.
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The prime minister is facing calls to face a sleaze inquiry, having been accused of misleading the Commons by saying that due process was followed during the appointment of the former Labour peer as ambassador to the US.
Lord Mandelson, it has emerged, was appointed despite failing his security vetting, with senior civil servant Sir Olly Robbins stating last week that pressure from No 10 had led to the hiring.
Sir Keir has faced mounting pressure to appear before a sleaze inquiry over the appointment and outline what he knew about the vetting process - and a vote is set to be held on Tuesday into the matter.
This is what we know about the situation so far.
When is the vote and will MPs vote in favor?
MPs are set to debate a motion, which will likely be put forward by Kemi Badenoch, and then vote in the Commons during a session, which is scheduled to be on Tuesday afternoon.
They will vote on whether Sir Keir should be put forward to the Parliamentary Privileges Committee on whether the PM misled the house about what he knew about the vetting of Lord Mandelson.
Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey said: "Labour MPs must be given a free vote on any motion to refer Starmer to the Privileges Committee, not forced into being accomplices to a cover-up.
"If Keir Starmer has misled the House and the public, he must be held to the same standard that we should expect of any prime minister."
Labour is likely to tell MPs to vote the probe down, with deputy PM David Lammy telling LBC's Ben Kentish that the vote is a "political stunt".
“This is a political stunt by the Conservatives to keep this thing running," he said. "And why do they want to keep it running? They want to keep it running because we've got local elections.”
Sir Keir had told Labour MPs that the motion is “totally baseless” and “absolutely ridiculous” accusations against him and insisted the motion on Tuesday was “pure politics”, adding: “We need to stand together against it.”
What happens if the vote passes?
The privileges committee, which is formed of seven, cross party, MPs, will then decide whether Sir Keir has breached parliamentary privilege in preventing or hindering the work of the Commons.
If the committee presses ahead, it will request evidence, documents, emails and reports, and will send its findings back to the Commons for a vote on its report. MPs would also then vote on what sanctions could be implemented.
Who is on the privileges committee?
MPs on the committee are:
- Alberto Costa (Conservative),
- Paula Baker (Labour),
- Gill Furniss (Labour),
- Anna Sabine (Liberal Democrat),
- Neil Shastri-Hurst (Conservative),
- Gareth Snell (Labour),
- Michael Wheeler (Labour)