Starmer staves off mutiny over Mandelson mess… but for how long? - The Latest

Starmer staves off mutiny over Mandelson mess… but for how long? - The Latest

From Today in Focus by The Guardian

April 28, 2026 · 11 min

About this episode

Keir Starmer faces criticism over Peter Mandelson's ambassador appointment amid a privileges committee investigation.

Keir Starmer endured another bruising day as the saga surrounding Peter Mandelson’s appointment as US ambassador continued. The prime minister faced harsh criticism from his own MPs over his efforts to stave off a privileges committee investigation, while his former chief of staff Morgan McSweeney admitted putting pressure on the Foreign Office to expedite Mandelson’s posting in highly anticipated evidence to a parliamentary committee. So how much peril is the prime minister in? Lucy Hough speaks to policy editor and host of Politics Weekly, Kiran Stacey - watch on YouTube . Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/infocus

People in this episode

Host: Lucy Hough

Guest: Kiran Stacey

Topics covered

  • politics
  • UK government
  • parliament
  • ambassador appointment
  • criticism
  • investigation

Keywords

  • Keir Starmer
  • Peter Mandelson
  • Morgan McSweeney
  • privileges committee
  • UK politics
  • ambassador
  • criticism

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: The Guardian

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