Sir Keir Starmer has “squandered” his political capital “saving his own skin”, Kemi Badenoch said, after a bid to launch an inquiry into claims he misled Parliament over the Peter Mandelson affair was defeated.
Labour MPs were ordered to oppose Tuesday’s motion which would have seen the Prime Minister referred to the Commons Privileges Committee, in an echo of the process that eventually ended Boris Johnson’s political career.
At Prime Minister’s Questions on Wednesday, Sir Keir said the move by the Tories was rejected “decisively because everyone saw it for what it was – a desperate, baseless political stunt ahead of the May elections”.
However, Mrs Badenoch accused Sir Keir of “begging” his MPs to back him, adding: “The whole country is sick of this man’s tone deaf, pompous moralising.”
She has said the Prime Minister was guilty of misleading the Commons when he claimed due process was followed and no pressure was exerted to grant Lord Mandelson security clearance against official advice.
The Prime Minister has consistently denied misleading the House, leaning on the conclusion of former cabinet secretary Sir Chris Wormald that “appropriate processes” were followed.
Despite a rebellion by 15 Labour backbenchers, MPs voted against launching an investigation by a majority of 112 – lower than the Government’s working majority of 165.
It is unclear whether the rebels will lose the Labour whip.
Opening the final PMQs before Parliament is suspended, Mrs Badenoch said: “It’s the end of this session and what a contrast with the beginning.
“Back in July 2024 those benches were full of sycophantic questions from adoring new MPs, yesterday the Prime Minister was reduced to begging those same MPs to save his own skin.”
She went on to say: “This Government is like a bad episode of Game Of Thrones.
“His own people have turned against him and all the while, the Prime Minister is holed up in his castle, wetting himself about a visit from the King in the North.
“Yesterday, one Labour MP actually said that his days are numbered. That’s one of them. I wonder who it was because they’re all looking guilty as hell.
“Isn’t the real reason the Prime Minister can’t cut welfare that he squandered all his political capital saving his own skin?”
Sir Keir replied: “She talks about political games. That’s what she was doing yesterday.”
Mrs Badenoch later added of Sir Keir: “Last week we all saw him punch the Speaker’s chair. This is not a man who is in control.”
Following the vote on Tuesday, the Tory leader accused Labour MPs of being complicit in a “cover-up”, saying they would “rue the day” they voted against an inquiry.
Downing Street described the move as a “desperate political stunt”, adding the Government would co-operate with existing parliamentary inquiries into the Mandelson affair.
One of those inquiries took a step forward on Tuesday, with the announcement that Parliament’s Intelligence and Security Committee (ISC) had finished reviewing the Government’s requests to redact documents relating to the appointment before they are published in line with a demand from the Commons in February.
Adding to the Government’s headache on Tuesday was a report that Lord Mandelson’s successor as US ambassador, Sir Christian Turner, described Sir Keir as being “on the ropes” and said America’s only “special relationship” was with Israel.
At PMQs, Sir Keir said Sir Christian’s comments were “the least of my problems” after “what I’ve had thrown at me in the last two weeks by all the opposition parties”.
It came in response to Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey who said: “The Prime Minister has had to fire one US ambassador for lying. Does he fear he’ll now have to fire a second one for telling the truth?”
Asked whether the Prime Minister still had confidence in Sir Christian, Sir Keir’s spokesman told reporters: “Yes.”
And the official said the UK-US special relationship “absolutely” still existed.
