Lib Dems report Prime Minister to ethics adviser for breach of Ministerial Code

Lib Dems report Prime Minister to ethics adviser for breach of Ministerial Code

The Liberal Democrats have formally reported Sir Keir Starmer to Sir Laurie Magnus for failing to notify Parliament as soon as he knew Lord Mandelson failed security vetting.

The Liberal Democrats’ report to ethics adviser Sir Laurie Magnus argues the Prime Minister has breached the Ministerial Code, which states that it is of "paramount importance" that Ministers give accurate information to Parliament and correct any errors "at the earliest opportunity".

A government spokesperson confirmed this week that the Prime Minister was informed "earlier this week" that Lord Mandelson had actually failed security vetting. The revelations about the vetting failure were reported late afternoon on Thursday.

The Liberal Democrats have pointed out that despite knowing Mandelson had failed vetting, the Prime Minister failed to update Parliament during Wednesday’s Prime Minister’s Questions (PMQs), choosing instead to withhold the information until it surfaced through the media.

The party’s Cabinet Office spokesperson Lisa Smart has written to Laurie Magnus to report the potential breach of ministerial code code.

Lisa Smart MP, Liberal Democrat Cabinet Office Spokesperson, said: 

“The Prime Minister failed to tell Parliament that he knew Mandelson had been denied vetting on Wednesday, presumably crossing his fingers and hoping the truth would not come out. What a shameful way for a Prime Minister to behave.

“To stand in front of the dispatch box and deny Parliament such crucial information looks like a serious breach of ministerial code. That’s why I’ve written to the ethics adviser to report this breach and ask him to investigate at the earliest opportunity.

“Starmer made catastrophic errors of judgment from the very beginning of the Mandelson scandal and it seems he has just kept on making them. His position is now untenable.”

ENDS