
EXTRA: Why didn’t Starmer ask more questions about Mandelson?
From Electoral Dysfunction by Sky News
April 21, 2026 · 33 min
About this episode
The episode discusses Keir Starmer's performance in Commons regarding Peter Mandelson's vetting failure.
Keir Starmer says that if he'd known Peter Mandelson had failed his vetting, he would never have appointed him US ambassador. The PM told the MPs that civil servants in the Foreign Office had made a "deliberate decision" not to tell him, and that it "beggars belief" that he didn’t know. This is a story full of political process, about whether rules were followed. But for many it may just boil down to why the Prime Minister did not ask more questions, especially when it concerned a man who had already resigned twice from government. In this special extra episode Beth Rigby, Ruth Davidson and Harriet Harman give a full debrief on Keir Starmer’s Commons performance. Got a question for the burner phone? WhatsApp 07934 200 444 or email electoraldysfunction@sky.uk And if you didn't know, you can also watch Beth, Ruth and Harriet on YouTube.
People in this episode
Host: Beth Rigby
Guests: Ruth Davidson, Harriet Harman
Topics covered
- political process
- government accountability
- Keir Starmer
- Peter Mandelson
- Commons performance
- politics
Keywords
- Keir Starmer
- Peter Mandelson
- political process
- government
- Commons performance
- vetting
- accountability
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: Sky News
More episodes of Electoral Dysfunction
- More resignations for Keir Starmer: can it get any worse? · June 12, 2026 · 54 min
- Is Nigel Farage exploiting Henry Nowak’s murder? · June 5, 2026 · 57 min
- Andy Burnham on Britain’s future... and his own · June 2, 2026 · 25 min
- Why the UK isn’t ungovernable – yet · May 29, 2026 · 42 min
- Who is regulating reality TV? Lessons from MAFS UK · May 22, 2026 · 47 min
- Jess Phillips: Starmer Doesn’t Listen · May 15, 2026 · 48 min
Explore listener stats, chart rankings, contacts and more on the Electoral Dysfunction podcast page.