London, April 29: No investigation will be conducted against UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer regarding the case involving former British Ambassador Peter Mandelson. This decision came after a vote in the House of Commons, concluding that there would be no inquiry into allegations that Starmer misled Parliament about Mandelson while he was in the United States.
On Tuesday, a debate lasting over five hours took place, culminating in MPs rejecting a Conservative Party proposal to refer Starmer’s case to the House’s Privileges Committee by a vote of 335 to 223.
According to a report by the Xinhua News Agency, Starmer stated on Monday that this vote was merely a political stunt orchestrated by his opponents.
The controversy centers on Mandelson’s appointment as the UK’s former ambassador in the U.S. The vote was about whether Starmer misled Parliament when he claimed that all procedures were followed in Mandelson’s appointment. Conservative Party leader Kemi Badenoch argued that Starmer’s statement amounted to misleading Parliament.
Starmer told Sky News, “What my political opponents are doing is a political stunt. Such stunts do not affect our transparency. This is not a proper use of Parliament’s time.”
It was revealed in mid-April that Mandelson had been denied security clearance in January 2025 before taking up his position. At that time, British security officials conducted a thorough investigation, including a confidential background check. However, the UK Foreign Office later overturned this decision.
Starmer emphasized that he learned about this issue on April 14 and insisted that he did not mislead Parliament. Mandelson was removed from his position as the UK’s chief diplomat in Washington in September 2025 following revelations about his connections with Jeffrey Epstein.
Earlier this year, he was briefly arrested under an investigation into alleged misconduct in public office, which included the potential disclosure of market-sensitive information.
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