Eyeopener

Did Starmer mislead the Commons? It's a big question that comes down to semantics Starmer's language in the Commons on Wednesday in response to questions about Lord Mandelson, when he said that 'no pressure existed whatsoever', is now being pored over by all sides Starmer opened the statement by saying that he wanted to deal directly with 'this question of pressure in relation to the decision to appoint Peter Mandelson and put him in place' That is quite a broad statement He goes on to quote from Robbins's appearance at the foreign affairs select committee, when he said he that there was 'constant pressure' from No 10 Starmer quotes Robbins saying that he ensured the security vetting process was 'rigorously independent' of that pressure He concludes: 'No pressure existed whatsoever in relation to this case. What is unacceptable is that the recommendation of UKSV was not given to me before Mandelson took up his post' Opposition parties say this is directly contradicted by Robbins, who was clear there was pressure but said that he resisted it and the process was independent They say this does not justify a carte blanche assertion that 'no pressure existed whatsoever in relation to this case' No 10 has two lines of defence. It says, firstly, that the line was limited to 'no pressure whatsoever' specifically in terms of the vetting outcome Second, it says that it does not accept that 'asking for updates on the progress of an appointment is pressure in relation to the vetting process or outcome' But opposition parties argue that Starmer's language is far broader than that - he does not specify anything about the vetting process in the sentence in question They also say that Robbins has been selectively quoted by Starmer - that Robbins was clear that pressure was exerted during security vetting process but insists it did not have a bearing on his decision Why does it matter? Because, as we revealed this week, opposition parties are gearing up to refer Starmer to the privileges committee - the body that ended Boris Johnson's political career after finding that he misled MPs over partygate It has the potential to be fatal for Starmer. So defining what he meant when he said 'no pressure existed whatsoever in relation to this case' is critical Those nine words in the Commons could have huge ramifications