British lawmakers on Tuesday voted against launching an inquiry into whether Prime Minister Keir Starmer misled Parliament over his decision to appoint Peter Mandelson as ambassador to the U.S.
Starmer appointed Labour veteran Mandelson to the top diplomatic post in December 2024, before dismissing him last September when his ties to the late U.S. sex offender Jeffrey Epstein were found to be deeper than previously known.
The Prime Minister has resisted pressure to resign over the issue, stating that Mandelson had lied about his relationship with Epstein.
Starmer also said officials had withheld information from him about the vetting process that would have prevented the appointment.
On Tuesday, lawmakers voted 335 to 223 against asking the Committee of Privileges to investigate whether Starmer had misled the House of Commons on several matters, including his statement that "full due process" had been followed in relation to the appointment.
Had the committee found that Starmer had deliberately misled Parliament, he would have been expected to resign.
Starmer criticised the attempt to launch an inquiry, led by opposition Conservative Party leader Kemi Badenoch, calling it a political stunt aimed at influencing voters ahead of local and regional elections on 7 May.
He instructed lawmakers in his centre-left Labour Party to oppose the investigation, resulting in its decisive rejection. Badenoch said the move demonstrated Starmer's weakness, arguing that he had been forced to rely on party discipline to block scrutiny.
Houthi attacks target Riyadh amid concerns over Saudi oil supplies, as Iran says it will not reopen the Strait of Hormuz until its conditions are m...
The death toll from an overnight Russian attack on the Kyiv region rose to four, including three children, Kyiv regional authorities said on Sunday...
Uzbekistan’s grape exports have grown rapidly. In January-August 2025, the country exported 86,200 tonnes of fresh grapes worth $78.3 million...
Iran's Revolutionary Guards Navy said a Togo-flagged oil tanker was struck while attempting to make an “illegal passage” through the Strait of Hormuz, Iranian state media said early on Friday.
Saudi civil defence sent an all-clear on Saturday after issuing alerts for a second time for potential danger in Riyadh and the city of Al-Kharj east of the capital, amid an uptick in attacks by Iran-aligned Houthis on the Gulf country.
The European Union will disburse €3.3 billion ($3.8 billion) to Ukraine for missiles and drones, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said after a phone call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
The U.S. State Department approved a $2.7 billion military sale to Ukraine for air-defence development upgrades, along with related equipment and services, the department said. Meanwhile, Ukrainian authorities reported at least 10 people had died in Russian attacks over the last 24 hours.
Three students were killed in a school shooting in the southern Philippines on Friday, including a 16-year-old suspected gunman who turned the gun on himself, provincial officials said.
The death toll from an overnight Russian attack on the Kyiv region rose to four, including three children, Kyiv regional authorities said on Sunday. A mother and her two 3-year-old children were killed when a Russian drone strike hit a private home, the emergency service said.
A small container of lunar soil travelled more than 380,000 kilometres from the far side of the Moon to Earth two years ago. It recently made one more journey - from Beijing to Vienna, where China officially handed it over to the United Nations.
Russian authorities have reported attacks on voting systems and communication lines as the country’s parliamentary election entered its second day on Saturday (19 September).
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has launched a new eight-nation grouping aimed at boosting trade, energy and security cooperation across central and eastern Europe. Here's what you need to know.
The U.S. State Department approved a $2.7 billion military sale to Ukraine for air-defence development upgrades, along with related equipment and services, the department said. Meanwhile, Ukrainian authorities reported at least 10 people had died in Russian attacks over the last 24 hours.
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment