Desperate Starmer whips MPs to block sleaze probe as rebellion grows | Politics | News
Starner faces growing pressure to answer for his actions to the privileges committee (Image: Getty)
Sir Keir Starmer plans to instruct Labor MPs to vote against any attempt to refer him to a bogus parliamentary inquiry; because rebels warn that this move could backfire spectacularly.
The Prime Minister faces a tough vote on Tuesday after Commons Speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle opened the door to a debate on referring Sir Keir to the privileges committee; The findings of this committee were the same committee that led to the downfall of Boris Johnson, when he resigned as MP for Uxbridge and South Ruislip in June 2023 after it emerged that he had misled parliament about Partygate.
Downing Street had hoped Sir Lindsay would block the request outright. Instead, he is expected to accept it, given the “relatively low” procedural bar.
The Times reported that Sir Keir planned to whip Labor MPs into opposing the guidance; It’s a move that risks fueling a growing rebellion within its own ranks.
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What do Labor elders say about an investigation into Starmer?
Sir Alan Johnson and Lord Blunkett issued a joint statement opposing the vote and denied it was a politically motivated stunt.
“The fact that Kemi Badenoch changes her almost daily accusations against the Prime Minister because her claims do not stand up to scrutiny shows what this is really about,” they said.
“This is a blatant political stunt with no substance ahead of the May election. Any comparison to Boris Johnson is absurd. By the time Parliament referred the matter to the privileges committee, a police investigation had directly disproved his categorical statements that he knew nothing about the breach of lockdown rules.”
The prime minister’s allies also argued that a parliamentary inquiry would be a “waste of public money” and a “diversion from the huge challenges facing this country”.
Are Labor rebels threatening to break ranks over Starmer’s behaviour?
Despite Sir Keir coming to power with a 170-vote majority in 2024, his whiplash strategy risks deepening divisions within his parliamentary party. Labor rebels are reportedly considering joining forces with the Conservatives to force a referral to the privileges committee.
A Labor MP told The Sun on Sunday: “Watch out Privileges Committee; many Labor MPs are angry.”
Conservative MP Saqib Bhatti reached out directly to Labor supporters, saying: “Labor MPs must decide now whether to side with the victims of abuse or with Starmer, who just doesn’t care.”
What does Starmer say about the dirt inquiry?
Sir Keir has consistently denied misleading MPs and insists he remains solidly behind the vast majority of his party in parliament.
He told The Sunday Times: “You’ll never hear from people who are supportive, loyal and just want to get on with the job. And those are the vast majority of people in the Parliamentary Labor Party.”
He added: “They waited a long time to come to power. And they just want to go about their business. They don’t make much noise about it. They don’t talk about it with journalists. What is reflected in these discussions is really important.”
Sir Keir has a tough week ahead. Morgan McSweeney, who resigned as the Prime Minister’s private secretary in February, will appear before the Foreign Affairs Select Committee on Tuesday, where she is expected to face questions about allegations that she told former Foreign Office mandarin Sir Philip Barton to “fuck off” Lord Mandelson’s appointment to Washington.
