British Prime Minister Keir Starmer delivers a speech at the Union of Shop, Distributive and Allied Workers Annual Delegate Meeting at the Winter Gardens Blackpool, Blackpool, Britain, April 27, 2026. TEMILADE ADELAJA / REUTERS
British lawmakers will vote on whether embattled Prime Minister Keir Starmer should face a parliamentary probe over the Peter Mandelson scandal, the House of Commons speaker announced on Monday, April 27.
Members of Parliament will debate on Tuesday whether to refer Starmer to a committee to consider if he misled parliament over the appointment of the former associate of the late convicted US sex criminal Jeffrey Epstein, Lindsay Hoyle said. It is the latest development in an unrelenting scandal that has plagued Starmer's government for months and led to calls for him to resign. Hoyle added that his decision followed requests from "numerous" lawmakers, including opposition Conservative party leader Kemi Badenoch, Hoyle added.
Badenoch has accused Starmer of misleading lawmakers by insisting "due process" was followed ahead of the 2024 appointment of Mandelson as Britain's ambassador to the United States despite having failed his security vetting.
Starmer has sacked the most senior civil servant in the foreign ministry for not telling him or other ministers that Mandelson had not passed the checks. He has also denied claims that his office applied pressure on the foreign ministry to approve the appointment.
