Lindsay Hoyle to make crunch decision over claims on whether Keir Starmer misleading Parliament

Sir Lindsay Hoyle is set to make a crunch decision in just a few hours' time over claims that Sir Keir Starmer misled Parliament over the Peter Mandelson vetting scandal.

This afternoon, the Commons Speaker will announce whether MPs will debate and then vote on referring the Prime Minister to the Privileges Committee over the ongoing saga engulfing Westminster.

Sir Lindsay, who No10 was hoping would deny the request for a vote, is expected to approve the request due to the “relatively low” procedural bar for doing so.

But Cabinet minister Emma Reynolds accused opposition parties of playing "silly political games".

Sir Keir is already facing increasing pressure from his own backbenchers over Lord Mandelson's vetting procedures - and his subsequent firing of Foreign Office mandarin Sir Olly Robbins.

The PM believes Sir Olly’s evidence to the Foreign Affairs Committee last week proved that he had not misled Parliament over the scandal, with party allies rallying around their leader in the face of simmering leadership rumours.

In the past, the Privileges Committee ultimately brought about the downfall of Boris Johnson in June 2023, with the former Prime Minister resigning as the MP for Uxbridge & South Ruislip after he was found to have misled MPs over partygate.

Follow along for more updates throughout the day...

Labour rebels urge Keir Starmer to set out resignation date as Angela Rayner told to strike Blair-Brown style leadership pact with Andy Burnham

Labour MPs are urging Sir Keir Starmer to set out his resignation date in the fallout over the Peter Mandelson scandal.

In the wake of the upcoming set of local elections, which is expected to bring a day of historic losses for the party, backbenchers are readying themselves to call on the Prime Minister to disclose the day he will leave Downing Street.

Despite many rallying around the Prime Minister to move out of No10 after the May elections, rebels will encourage Sir Keir to step down by Labour's autumn conference – despite the PM vowing to lead the party "beyond" the next general election, the Daily Mail reports.

Meanwhile, Westminster rival Angela Rayner has been told to strike a Blair-Brown-style leadership pact with Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham.

The pair could be combining their influence on the left of Labour, with Mr Burnham running for the leadership role.

Ms Rayner, however, would support his bid for Downing Street – as well as "any job she wanted" in his Cabinet, The Telegraph was told.

The deal would be reminiscent of the "Granita pact" between New Labour giants Sir Tony Blair and Gordon Brown.

Keir Starmer compared to former US President George W Bush

Sir Tony Blair's spin doctor has compared Sir Keir Starmer to the former US President George W Bush.

Alastair Campbell has suggested that, like the ex-Commander-in-Chief, the serving Prime Minister has developed an affinity for gaffes during his premiership.

"He reminds me, to this regard only, of George W Bush," he told Holyrood Magazine, while he warned Britain was facing a "dark" time.

Prime Minister will hold Cobra meeting on Tuesday amid Iran war

The Prime Minister has announced he will hold a meeting of the Cobra emergency committee on Tuesday amid the Iran war.

Speaking in Lancashire, Sir Keir Starmer outlined the impact of the Middle East conflict devastating "ordinary people" across the UK.

Top bosses from the Bank of England will attend, warning the USDAE trade union annual delegate meeting that the "economic consequences (of the Iran conflict) could still be with us for some time".

Keir Starmer vows to end retail crime 'free-for-all' and protect workers as he makes major speech

Sir Keir Starmer has vowed to end the retail crime "free-for-all" and protect staff from harassment as he sets out the "biggest upgrade for workers' rights for a generation".

Making a major speech from Lancashire, he vowed to offer major protections to workers up and down Britain.

Sir Keir offered assurances from both sick pay and paternity leave "from day one", as well as protection for whistleblowers, and no more gagging orders on sexual harassment.

He added he backed scrapping more exploitative zero-hour contracts, as well as stronger collective consultation rights - and, "underpinning all of that, a proper living wage".

Greens leader proposes 'cannabis cafe or club' as part of party's plan to regulate drugs

The Greens' Zack Polanski has proposed the concept of a "cannabis cafe or social club" as part of his party's bid to regulate drugs.

Declaring the "war on drugs has clearly failed", he called for the legalisation and regulation of drugs, including cannabis, in the UK.

He told Sky News they would not "necessarily" be on a high street and assured there would be a "whole conversation" about the impact on the local community.

Protesters prepare to descend on Westminster to rally against Rachel Reeves's fuel tax

Protesters are preparing to descend on Westminster to protest Rachel Reeves's fuel tax this morning.

Whipped up by Reform UK's top brass, the party's economic spokesman, Robert Jenrick, has taken aim at the rising gas prices taking a toll on Britons' budgets.

He said: "As fuel prices have shot up, the Chancellor has been raking it in. Spain, Canada, Germany, Ireland have all cut taxes on fuel. But Rachel Reeves? She’s done nothing."

Since 2011, fuel duty had been frozen, and was later slashed by 5p after Russia illegally invaded Ukraine.

But now, at the last Budget, Ms Reeves said the 5p cut would be returned between September 2026 and March 2027.

WATCH: Labour minister admits she feels 'quite tired' of leadership rumours

The Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs has admitted she feels "quite tired" of leadership plots flooding Westminster.

Asked whether she would prefer Andy Burnham or Angela Rayner as her party leader, Emma Reynolds told GB News: "I would rather retain our current Prime Minister.

"He won a clear mandate from the British people in July 2024, not even two years ago, to change this country for the better, to improve public services, to help people with the cost of living.

"I do get quite tired, frankly, of this constant leadership speculation.

"We are in the process of going to the country in the local elections and in important elections in Scotland and Wales, and I want to be talking to people, which is what I do week in, week out on the doorstep, about what this Government has done to help improve their lives and what Labour councils are doing to improve their high street and their local services."

Zack Polanski welcomes 'progressive' Angela Rayner or Andy Burnham while leadership rumours ramp up

The Green Party leader Zack Polanski has said that he would welcome Angela Rayner or Andy Burnham as a potential future Labour leader.

The ex-hynotherapist told Sky News: "It's no secret that Andy Burnham and Angela Rayner would be much closer to my politics than Keir Starmer is."

He said that the duo, both of whom are thought to be scheming together to overthrow their boss, care about the impact of the cost of living crisis and people in the UK.

But he added: "They're still in the Labour Party and my question would be: Why have they been so quiet while the Labour Party and the Labour government have done some pretty egregious things?"

WATCH IN FULL: Christopher Hope grills Shadow Defence Secretary over Tories' history of sleaze scandals

Watch the moment Christopher Hope grilled the Shadow Defence Secretary over the Tories' history of sleaze scandals.

While James Cartlidge, joining GB News this morning, laid into Labour as MPs threaten Sir Keir Starmer with a sleaze probe over appointing Peter Mandelson as the UK's Ambassador to the US, the GB News presenter stopped him in his tracks.

WATCH ABOVE FOR MORE.

Any Labour leadership race 'won't happen particularly quickly', top Tory tells GB News

Any future Labour leadership race "won't happen particularly quickly", a top Tory has told GB News.

Shadow Defence Secretary James Cartlidge condemned the "deeply distracted and deeply divided" state of the governing party amid leadership rumours swirling around Westminster.

"I think that this isn't good for the country at a time when we need strong leadership," Mr Cartlidge told GB News.

"We're just not getting that (strength). It's understandable there's now a lot of attention on who comes next.

"If indeed the Prime Minister is going to go, my suspicion is that this will not happen particularly quickly," he forecast.

"But let's see what what matters from our point of view is that the Government actually grips the challenges the country is facing at home and abroad."

Kemi Badenoch accuses 'vindictive' Keir Starmer of 'obsession with lawfare' ahead of key Commons vote TODAY

Kemi Badenoch has accused Sir Keir Starmer of having an "obsession with lawfare" in the face of an upcoming key Commons vote today.

The Tory leader has regularly hit out at the Prime Minister for his "vindictive" plan to take veterans through the courts in its Northern Ireland Troubles Bill.

Mrs Badenoch slammed the Prime Minister for "hounding our veterans through the courts like criminals", writing for the Daily Mail.

She said: "Today in Parliament, Labour MPs have a choice. They can support Starmer’s vindictive plan to pursue our brave veterans through the courts.

"Or, they can decide that they’ve finally had enough of blindly following the orders of a PM who keeps letting them, and the country, down."

Labour urged to cut welfare spending to accelerate growth, data shows

Labour has been encouraged to cut welfare spending to accelerate growth, a new report revealed today.

Britons scattered across the political spectrum, of all ages and from all regions, have agreed that the Government must slice funding to save the UK's economic prospects.

The report, commissioned by the 2030 Prosperity Alliance, polled around 3,000 people.