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Nine words were all it took for former Downing Street chief of staff Morgan McSweeney to nudge Sir Keir Starmer closer to the cliff edge even though he forced Labour MPs to defend the indefensible.

The scorned svengali, who helped seize back control of the party from the hard left wastelands ruled by dinosaur Jeremy Corbyn, was the first sacrificial lamb in the Peter Mandelson debacle.

But one by one they are starting to bleat.

Giving evidence on Mandelson's appointment as US ambassador, McSweeney played heavily on the importance of public service, saying "responsibility should rest with those who make serious mistakes".

They are the very words his former boss and prime minister continues to ignore.

We still don't know when Sir Keir took the decision to appoint the scandal-plagued Prince of Darkness. No official record, or minutes of an apparent meeting, exist. How strange!

But if we believe McSweeney's evidence, then Sir Keir should surely fall on his sword as well.

His rubber stamping of the appointment of Mandelson, twice forced to resign in disgrace and the best pal of sex fiend Jeffrey Epstein, is bad enough. But what about the rest of his car crash premiership?

The Irishman, whose work phone was mysteriously stolen on October 20 last year and has never been recovered, laid it on thick at the Foreign Affairs Select Committee, saying: "I've spent much of my working life trying, in whatever role I held, to make this country fairer, stronger and more successful.

"I have always believed public service is a privilege. It brings responsibility and scrutiny, but it also brings a meaningful chance to improve people's lives. That is what motivated me in government.

"The appointment of Mandelson as ambassador was a serious error of judgment. I advised the prime minister in support of that appointment and I was wrong to do so.

"I resigned because I believe responsibility should rest with those who make serious mistakes. Accountability in public life cannot apply only when it is convenient.

"The prime minister relied on my advice and I got it wrong."

McSweeney quit, Sir Olly Robbins, Permanent Under-Secretary at the Foreign Office, was sacked, and yet rudderless Sir Keir limps on.

Last night Starmer survived after MPs rejected a motion calling for the PM to face a parliamentary inquiry into whether he misled the Commons.

They voted 335-223 against a motion demanding he be investigated by the Privileges Committee over comments about the vetting of Mandelson.

It means he has ducked scrutiny on account of forcing his MPs to defend him in what was described as a "cowardly way to govern".

So much for a man who promised to return decency and honesty to politics.

The truth is ghastly Mandelson's appointment was a done deal as far as Labour was concerned.

Asked whether Sir Keir was in "full knowledge" of all the information when making the appointment, McSweeney said "he had all the knowledge that I had" - before insisting his boss "wasn't aware of enough" because "Mandelson himself wasn't open enough".

In short, such was the rush to get Mandelson to Washington that due diligence and due process was ignored. The very basics were overlooked. And so began an almighty cover up.

The clock is ticking for stuttering Starmer and his acolytes who were yesterday described as acting like "sheep".

The Commons heard it "stretches the bounds of reason to breaking point" to suggest the Foreign Office's decision to grant Mandelson security clearance was not influenced by pressure from Downing Street and, ergo, the prime minister.

Starmer thinks it's just sheer coincidence.

Two lambs have already been slaughtered over this wholly foreseeable scandal.

Starmer thinks he can ride this one out and stick around to inflict more misery.

What does Britain think?

Well, large parts will get a say on May 7 - officially the date of local elections he tried to postpone - but now a full-blown referendum on this dud of a PM.

And their verdict? Ewe must be joking.

Starmer might have ducked this one but his day of reckoning is coming.