Starmer buys some time – but he could be running out of political capital

With a possible election ‘shellacking’ coming up, the PM is not out of danger despite his MPs backing over Mandelson Keir Starmer deployed the entire Labour machine – cabinet ministers, whips, even Gordon Brown – to shore up his support ahead of what was set to be a critical day for his premiership on Tuesday. And it worked. Labour MPs trooped dutifully through the voting lobbies to block Conservative attempts to refer him to the privileges committee – a process that would have dragged out the Peter Mandelson row and been a painful reminder of Starmer’s original sin of appointing the former Labour spin doctor and minister as his man in Washington. It is not the first time the prime minister’s senior team has come to his rescue. In February, his cabinet rallied round to see off an immediate challenge to his position from Anas Sarwar, Labour’s leader in Scotland. But despite public displays of support, several warned then he was not out of danger, with one minister adding that his leadership was “in the endgame”. It did, however, win him some breathing space as mutinous MPs stepped back from the brink. The danger may not abate for long. The scandal has come in wav