Lee Anderson was ordered to leave the House of Commons after refusing to withdraw remarks accusing Sir Keir Starmer of lying during a heated exchange over the appointment of Lord Peter Mandelson.
The Reform UK MP was expelled by the Speaker, Sir Lindsay Hoyle, after repeatedly defying calls to retract his language during Prime Minister’s Questions.
Mr Anderson launched a sustained attack on Sir Keir following a statement to MPs on the circumstances surrounding Lord Mandelson’s appointment as UK ambassador to the United States, claiming: “No one believes him. The public don’t believe him. The MPs on this side of the House don’t believe him.”
He then pressed the Prime Minister directly, asking whether he agreed he had been “lying”, before escalating his language further.
Intervening, Sir Lindsay cautioned the MP over his choice of words and urged him to withdraw the remark. “Sorry, we don’t use those words, and I’m sure the member’s withdrawn it?” the Speaker said.
Mr Anderson refused, responding: “Mr Speaker, I have the greatest respect for you and your office, but I will not withdraw. That man couldn’t lie straight in bed.”
The Speaker immediately ordered him to leave the chamber. “Order! Mr Anderson, you’ll have to leave,” Sir Lindsay said.
The confrontation came moments after Sir Keir Starmer had delivered a detailed statement to MPs on what he described as a “staggering” timeline surrounding Lord Mandelson’s security vetting and appointment.
The Prime Minister told the House he had only recently been informed that Foreign Office officials had approved developed vetting clearance for Lord Mandelson despite an initial recommendation that it should be refused.
Sir Keir said he had not been informed of the decision by officials at the time, nor had other senior ministers, and described the failure of communication as “staggering”.
He added that he had ordered an urgent investigation into how the decision was taken and why it was not escalated through the proper channels.
The exchange adds to growing political tension at Westminster, with relations between government and opposition benches increasingly fractious amid disputes over appointments, security vetting, and standards in public office.
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