Labour MPs absent as Foreign Office says it did not carry out 'due diligence' on Peter Mandelson

A sizable number of Labour MPs stayed away from a Commons emergency debate on Tuesday as Prime Minister Keir Starmer confronted growing political turmoil over the appointment and subsequent controversy surrounding Peter Mandelson, with the Foreign Office saying it was not asked to contribute to any "due diligence" checks.

Government benches were noticeably sparse at the three-hour debate called in the wake of revelations about communications between Lord Mandelson and the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. The debate intensified scrutiny of the process that preceded Mandelson’s appointment and of what ministers, including the prime minister, knew before defending the appointment in public.

Starmer acknowledged on Monday that he was aware officials were looking into fresh emails between Lord Mandelson and Epstein when he publicly voiced "confidence" in the New Labour architect at Prime Minister's Questions last week, but he said he did not know the contents of the material and that "in retrospect" it would have been "better" if detailed allegations had been placed before him before the high-profile session.

A letter published by the Foreign Affairs Committee and attributed to Yvette Cooper set out the department's account of the vetting process. Cooper said the propriety and ethics team in the Cabinet Office conducted a due diligence process prior to the announcement of Mandelson's appointment on Dec. 20, 2024, "at the request of No 10." The Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office, she wrote, was not asked to contribute and no issues were raised with the FCDO as a result of that process. "This was not a security check," Cooper added.

Cooper said that after the public announcement of the appointment, the ambassadorial appointment process began, including national security vetting in advance of a prospective posting. She reiterated the long-standing practice that the department does not comment on individual national security vetting cases and noted that the vetting process "is not a process which involves No 10."

The parliamentary debate coincided with further political fallout for the prime minister. Paul Ovenden, a senior No. 10 aide, resigned on Monday after historical WhatsApp messages emerged in which he reportedly recounted lewd jokes about former Labour MP Diane Abbott. Pressure mounted on the prime minister’s chief of staff, Morgan McSweeney, with several MPs calling for his dismissal.

Former prime minister Gordon Brown publicly defended Starmer on Monday night, telling Sky News that the leader faced "very difficult decisions" and predicting that a full record would exonerate him. Some Labour figures, however, expressed open despair. A senior Labour MP quoted by the Daily Mail said the episode marked "the decline of Rome," and others warned that the prime minister's position could become untenable without improvement.

Labour officials on Monday convened a Cabinet meeting as the opposition and some members of the party sought answers. The unfolding controversy also coincides with the state visit to London by U.S. President Donald Trump, which begins on Tuesday and officials acknowledged could draw public attention away from the domestic political crisis.

Public opinion data cited by party figures showed a fall in Labour’s support in some recent polls, with one YouGov survey putting Reform nine points ahead and reporting Labour support at about 20 percent. Separate More in Common research referenced by Labour sources showed Starmer’s personal rating at a net negative.

Senior figures say removing a sitting prime minister in the current parliamentary term would be difficult without his resignation or an unprecedented internal Cabinet revolt. The next scheduled general election is not due until 2029, and the party’s large Commons majority would make an early poll unlikely without a formal vote of no confidence involving substantial numbers of MPs.

Ministers and officials said inquiries and parliamentary scrutiny will continue as committees seek further documentation and explanations about the selection and vetting process that led to Mandelson’s announced appointment and the subsequent events that have engulfed the government. The prime minister’s office said Mr. Starmer will set out further details as they become available and that the government would cooperate with any formal parliamentary inquiries.