MPs are still not ready to axe Starmer, though many feel it is all but inevitable, writes Natasha Clark

Last month we learned that the Prime Minister appointed Lord Mandelson to be our ambassador to the US, despite knowledge of his questionable business links, and relationship with Jeffrey Epstein, on a one-page 'due diligence' report from the Cabinet Office, back in autumn 2025.

To many MPs, that judgement is what's now at risk of bringing down this 'Mr Rules' Prime Minister and this Labour government.

It's clear from listening to Sir Olly today that he believed he was doing the right thing at the time - and still does.

After all, the King, officials in the USA, and the PM had all signed off this appointment already, and his team were facing pressure to clear him.

In fact, by the time the UK Security Vetting's decision not to recommend he get clearance came through, Mandelson was already in the US and had started his posting.

Sir Olly also claims it was never recommended that he not get clearance, but they were "leaning against" it.

That's really different from Downing Street's account, who insist that a box was ticked to say his developed vetting status should not be cleared.

Whatever the case, it would have been highly embarrassing for all of the above parties for him to be recalled and a new man imposed - just at the time the new President Trump was settling in.

Sir Olly took the view that the risks to the government of having this man on the inside could be mitigated, and set out to fix this particular problem for the Prime Minister.

He felt he was not able to share the details with the PM - or indeed anyone else - for fear of ripping up decades of trust in the system as he'd always known it.

No10 and Sir Keir Starmer disagree, and say he should have informed others, and left them looking completely red-faced when the Humble Address documents were revealed within government last week.

Downing Street today blames this "error of judgement" as the reason why the PM lost confidence in him and had to let him go.

What remains to be seen is why the Prime Minister took the decision he did in the first place - knowing the bare bones of what we know now caused the security services to have huge reservations about Lord Mandelson.

We don't know exactly what it was that made spooks so concerned - though Sir Olly was clear it wasn't about his relationship to Epstein - but we have an array of suggestions to look at.

The fact he was sacked several times, his relationships, his financial dealings, his firm's links to unfriendly regimes could all be reasons.

We also learn today that No10 looked at getting a head of mission job for Matthew Doyle when he was on the way out of No10.

That does little for the 'jobs for the boys' narrative flying around Whitehall.

But despite all the revelations today, it's Starmer's judgement which still is being questioning by MPs tonight.

They are still not ready to push the nuclear button, though many feel it is all but inevitable.

They can't fathom the reasoning behind some of the decisions he has made in the last 18 months, including why he felt appointing Lord Mandelson was worth the huge risks.

And that's what they fear will eventually lead to his downfall, whenever that might be.

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Natasha Clark is LBC's Political Editor.

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