Bassetlaw MP Jo White voted with the government on Tuesday night against a Conservative-led motion that would have referred Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer to the Commons Privileges Committee over the appointment of Peter Mandelson as US ambassador.

At a glance

  • Vote: Division 2347 ("Privilege"), Tuesday 28 April 2026
  • Result: Ayes 223, Noes 335 – government majority of 112
  • How Jo White voted: No (with the government)
  • Labour rebels: 15 Labour MPs broke ranks and voted Aye, including Rebecca Long-Bailey, John McDonnell and Richard Burgon
  • Source: UK Parliament Commons Votes – Division 2347

What the vote was about

The motion, brought by the Conservative opposition, asked MPs to refer the prime minister to the Privileges Committee for the committee to consider whether he had misled the House over the way Peter Mandelson's appointment as US ambassador was handled.

The row centres on evidence given to MPs that UK Security Vetting recommended Lord Mandelson should not be cleared for the role, before being overruled. Sir Olly Robbins, the former permanent secretary at the Foreign Office, has since described an atmosphere of constant pressure as his office sought to clear the appointment. He was sacked by the prime minister for not flagging the security concerns to ministers.

The government opposed the motion, with Labour MPs put under a three-line whip to vote against it.

How Bassetlaw's MP voted

According to the official Commons Votes record, Jo White was among the 335 MPs who voted No on Division 2347, defeating the motion. She did not appear on the list of 15 Labour MPs who broke ranks to back the inquiry.

Ms White was elected as Labour MP for Bassetlaw at the July 2024 general election, taking the seat from Conservative Brendan Clarke-Smith. She is the chair of the Red Wall Caucus, a group of Labour MPs representing seats Labour took back from the Conservatives at the last election. According to her parliamentary voting record, she has not voted against the majority of her party in any division during the current Parliament.

Why the vote matters

Tuesday's division was widely framed at Westminster as a test of authority for the prime minister. Defeat would have triggered an investigation by the cross-party Privileges Committee – the same body that examined Boris Johnson over the Partygate row – into whether Sir Keir misled MPs.

The 112-vote margin means there will now be no Privileges Committee referral. The political row over the Mandelson appointment, however, is unlikely to disappear: 15 Labour MPs publicly defied the whip, and former Foreign Office permanent secretary Sir Olly Robbins continues to give evidence to MPs about how the appointment was handled.

Have a view on how your MP voted? You can write to Jo White directly via jowhite.uk, or send your reaction to tips@worksopwire.co.uk.