PM won't face inquiry over claims he misled MPs on Mandelson vetting

PM won't face inquiry over claims he misled MPs on Mandelson vetting21 minutes agoShareSaveAdd as preferred on GoogleRichard WheelerPolitical reporterAFP via Getty ImagesSir Keir Starmer (left) and Lord Peter MandelsonSir Keir Starmer will not face a parliamentary investigation over claims he misled MPs about the process to appoint Lord Mandelson as US ambassador.The House of Commons voted 335 to 223 against a Conservative-led motion which sought to trigger the inquiry.Some Labour MPs on the left of the party said the PM should have referred himself to the Privileges Committee, but the majority voted to reject the motion after a concerted operation by No 10 to ensure they were on side.Sir Keir has denied accusations he misled MPs over whether vetting for the role of US ambassador followed "full due process" and his assertion that "no pressure whatsoever" was applied to officials at the Foreign Office.Conservative Party leader Kemi Badenoch tabled a motion which sought to have the PM's remarks assessed by the cross-party committee responsible for looking into cases of MPs breaking parliamentary rules.The Ministerial Code states that ministers who knowingly mislead Parliament are expected to resign, while any inadvertent error should be corrected "at the earliest opportunity".Badenoch had suggested Labour MPs were "acting like sheep" for labelling the motion a "stunt". But some Labour MPs questioned why they had been instructed to oppose it and suggested it risked looking similar to a "cover-up".The division list showed 14 Labour MPs rebelled to support the motion while another voted both aye and no, which is usually regarded as a formal abstention. It is not yet clear what action those Labour MPs who did not follow No 10's orders to oppose the motion will face.The Lib Dems, SNP, Greens, DUP, Plaid Cymru, Reform and nine independent MPs were among those who also voted with the Tories in favour...