Keir Starmer Fights For Survival In Make-Or-Break Commons Showdown

Keir Starmer will battle to save his job as he faces MPs amid calls for him to resign over the Peter Mandelson vetting scandal.

A Labour peer is among those demanding the prime minister quit after it was revealed the shamed former US ambassador failed security vetting before taking up the plumb diplomatic role.

Starmer said he was “furious” that he was not told that Olly Robbins, the top civil servant in the Foreign Office, had ultimately cleared Mandelson to carry out the job.

The PM only found out last Tuesday – and Robbins was sacked on Thursday night.

Starmer has been accused of lying to parliament and the public for previously stating that all of the appropriate vetting processes had been followed before Mandelson was appointed.

He will make a Commons statement on Monday before facing questions from MPs about what he knew and when.

Supporters of Olly Robbins have insisted he was legally precluded from telling the PM that Mandelson had failed the security vetting, but that has been denied by Downing Street.

“No law stops civil servants sensibly flagging UK Security Vetting recommendations, while rightly protecting detailed sensitive vetting information, to allow Ministers to make judgements on appointments or on explaining matters to Parliament,” the government said.

Scottish secretary Douglas Alexander told Sky News: “There are rightfully and reasonably important questions that need to be answered today. Keir Starmer’s going to set out all the facts. The right place for those questions to be answered are at the despatch box in the House of Commons.

“But we saw the leader of the opposition, as recently as Friday, claiming that the prime minister lied.

“That central contention that he wilfully and intentionally misled parliament and the public now relies, given what has emerged since then, relies on what would need to be a growing conspiracy, not just of every minister involved in this process, but of a growing list of civil servants.

“These judgments matter, and in that sense people need to reach a judgment in the round. The right place to do that’s in the House of Commons this afternoon, and the prime minister will set out his case.”

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Trump Once Again Threatened War Crimes On The Eve Of Iran Peace Talks — And His Lackey Has An Interesting Interpretation

White House Energy Secretary Chris Wright called President Donald Trump a “creative negotiator” when asked about his threats to “knock out every single” power plant and bridge in Iran.

As peace talks between the United States and Iran appear to be at a stalemate amid a tenuous ceasefire agreement and continued jockeying over control of the Strait of Hormuz, the president demanded Iran accept America’s terms or face his full wrath in a Sunday morning Truth Social post.

“NO MORE MR. NICE GUY!” Trump declared, calling the US’s diplomatic offer “very fair and reasonable.”

Asked if the president’s intimidation tactics could “complicate” negotiations with Iran during an appearance on “Fox News Sunday” just hours later, Wright said he had full confidence in Trump.

“The president is using every way he can to get leverage over the regime and bring this conflict to an end,” he told host Shannon Bream. “He’s a creative negotiator, he uses pressure in different ways.”

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FOX NEWS SUNDAY: When the president talks about blowing up every power plant and bridge, how does complicate things?

CHRIS WRIGHT: He’s a creative negotiator pic.twitter.com/XsmrnxQvrZ

— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) April 19, 2026

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FOX NEWS SUNDAY: When the president talks about blowing up every power plant and bridge, how does complicate things?

CHRIS WRIGHT: He’s a creative negotiator pic.twitter.com/XsmrnxQvrZ

— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) April 19, 2026

“He uses uncertainty in different ways and I think as you’ve seen in the last 16 months, generally it leads to good results,” the cabinet member went on. “I don’t think we’ll see any surprises here.”

Wright envisioned reaching a “nice end to this conflict,” which he said would rescue Iran’s regional neighbors from “constant terror” and also guarantee a free “flow of goods” through the Strait of Hormuz.

“Imagine a nuclear armed Iran, not far away from that reality,” he said. “This is going to put an end to it.”

Wright stuck by his support for Trump’s strategy in a separate Sunday interview on CNN, where host Jake Tapper asked the secretary if he was worried strikes on civilian infrastructure could “constitute a war crime.”

“The president is looking for maximum leverage,” he said, later adding, “No, I’m not worried about that.”

Earlier this month, Trump triggered international panic with a near-identical ultimatum, telling Iran to “open the fuckin’ Strait” of Hormuz within two days or find themselves “living in hell” via Truth Social.

After upping the ante with a post warning “a whole civilization will die tonight” just hours before his 8pm April 7 deadline, a two-week ceasefire was announced.

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