It is unlikely that events this week at the foreign affairs select committee will deliver a knockout blow to Sir Keir Starmer over his appointment of Peter Mandelson as Britain’s US ambassador. Westminster will instead see a stress test, forcing competing versions of events into the open – a risk for Downing Street if the story crystallises unfavourably. The first witness will be Sir Philip Barton, the former top civil servant at the Foreign Office, who is said to have had reservations about giving Lord Mandelson the job. He was in post when the prime minister announced the peer’s appointment. His evidence could be crucial.
Sir Keir told MPs last week that “no pressure existed whatsoever”. The emphatic “whatsoever” has put him in difficulty. He is already qualifying it, arguing that pushing for speed is not pressure. If Sir Philip names those who applied pressure – and this affected the Foreign Office’s decision – Sir Keir would be in hot water. He might avoid a Commons privileges inquiry, but the public would see him as slippery. The prime minister’s former chief of staff Morgan McSweeney reportedly told Sir Philip to “just fucking approve it”. Mr McSweeney’s evidence will hinge on whether he issues a categorical denial or a partial concession. Smart money is on the former.
