Starmer is facing his judgment day over Mandelson missteps

The Guardian — Apr 19, 18:08 PM

Ahead of a showdown with MPs, prime minister looks like a man who is not really in control

Keir Starmer has spent much of the last 24 hours working on a plan for what senior government figures are already describing as his “judgment day”: his showdown with MPs on Monday over the https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2026/apr/16/revealed-mandelson-failed-vetting-but-foreign-office-overruled-decision">latest Peter Mandelson revelations.

That the prime minister was apparently not told of Mandelson’s vetting failure has provoked incredulity across Westminster and accusations he https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2026/apr/17/olly-robbins-peter-mandelson-vetting-what-did-he-do-why-and-who-knew">sacked a senior civil servant to save his premiership.