THERE are “no certainties” about whether Keir Starmer will still be leading Labour by the next General Election, Douglas Alexander has said.
The Scottish Secretary was on the media rounds on Monday morning in a bid to defend the Prime Minister ahead of a major showdown in the Commons over the appointment of Peter Mandelson to the US ambassador role despite his known friendship with the paedophile Jeffrey Epstein.
Last week, it was confirmed – following initial reports in the i last September – that Mandelson had been given the role despite failing security vetting, something which Starmer had repeatedly suggested he had passed. In February, under pressure over the appointment, Starmer told the press and public that there had been “security vetting carried out independently by the security services … that gave him clearance for the role”.
Ahead of Starmer’s showdown with MPs on Monday, the UK Government published documents in which it was claimed that the Prime Minister had both not been told that Mandelson had failed vetting, and had been unaware it was “even possible to grant clearance against the advice” of security officials.
Speaking to Sky News, Alexander insisted that there was no “conspiracy” and that Starmer truly had been unaware of the facts of his own high-profile choice for US ambassador.
He said: “That central contention that he willfully and intentionally misled parliament and the public now relies, given what's emerged since then, on what would need to be a growing conspiracy, not just of every minister involved in this process but a growing number of senior civil servants.
“These judgments matter, and in that sense people need to reach a judgment in the round. The right place to do that is the House of Commons this afternoon and the Prime Minister will set out his case.”
Sky News host Sophy Ridge then noted that Andy Burnham and Angela Rayner – two senior Labour figures seen as potential successors to Starmer – had met on Friday night.
She then asked if Alexander thought Starmer would still be Prime Minister in the next General Election.
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The Scottish Secretary said: “I expect so. Yeah, I think he will.
“Listen, there are no certainties, but of course I think he'll lead and I think he should, because frankly on the biggest call of this parliament, he's exercised the right judgment, which is to keep us out of someone else's war.
“Of course, there's always going to be scuttlebuck and commentary about who's up, who's down. But on the really big calls which actually affect the people watching this programme, he's made the right call and in that sense, yes, he will lead the party into the next election.”
SNP Westminster leader Stephen Flynn has been among the voices calling for Starmer to resign over “his shameful role” in the Mandelson scandal.
On Monday afternoon, the Prime Minister will be faced with allegations he misled Parliament after telling MPs the proper process had been followed.
Starmer effectively fired the Foreign Office’s top official Olly Robbins last week after it emerged Mandelson had been given developed vetting (DV) status despite failing security checks.
Whitehall veteran Robbins is expected to give his own account to MPs on Tuesday at the Foreign Affairs Committee.
A statement issued by No 10 on Sunday night said that although civil servants rather than ministers make decisions on vetting and clearance, there was nothing in the law to prevent ministers being told.
“There is nothing in the guidance which prevented information being shared in this scenario, in a proportionate and necessary way and subject to the appropriate procedural steps,” the statement on the Constitutional Reform and Governance Act said.
Starmer told the Mirror he would make it “crystal clear” to MPs that he had been kept in the dark and it was “unforgivable” that the Foreign Office failed to tell him after he had offered public assurances that proper process had been followed.
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Tory leader Kemi Badenoch has said Starmer is “either lying or he’s incompetent”.
In March, the UK Government published 147 pages from the “Mandelson files” – documents linked to the decision to give the Labour grandee the diplomatic role – but mention of him failing a security vetting was absent.
The files did show that National Security Adviser Jonathan Powell believed the appointment process was “unusual” and “weirdly rushed” – and that Mandelson had been offered a highly classified briefing before finishing the vetting process.
Further files linked to Mandelson are due to be released, but The Guardian reported that top UK officials have been considering withholding the documents which would show the Labour peer failed security vetting.
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