Mark Best, Socialist Party National Committee
Another month, another potentially career-ending scandal for Keir Starmer. New Labour apparatchik Peter Mandelson’s appointment as US ambassador, an attempt to cosy up to Donald Trump by posting one of his pals, keeps coming back to bite Starmer. Questions swirl about who knew of and how much did they know about Mandelson’s close personal friendship and business dealings with deceased sexual predator and financier Jeffrey Epstein.
Now Starmer has had to stand up in Parliament and fight for his political life, that he did not mislead Parliament, and that the normal procedures to appoint Mandelson were followed. The Guardian reported that, despite Starmer’s previous statements, Mandelson failed security vetting – normally required for a sensitive position like US ambassador – but it was overruled to get him in post as fast as possible. Olly Robbins, the senior civil servant who has taken the fall for this, gave evidence to Parliament about the pressure from the government to get Mandelson his security clearances.
Starmer’s defence is that he didn’t know. So we either have a prime minister that lies to Parliament if he can get away with it (a graver offence for an MP than attacking working-class people’s living standards, or supporting war and destruction), or a prime minister that for whom things happen around him without his knowledge – what else hasn’t passed Starmer’s desk?
Dodgy political appointments, attacks on disabled people and pensioners, and still dragging their feet on all their promised improvements to workers’ rights. Starmer’s government is there to serve the interests of the rich and big business. We need to clear out the bosses’ New Labour Mark II, but to do that we need a party that will represent working-class interests.
