UK (Parliament Politics Magazine) – Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch accused PM Sir Keir Starmer of lying over Lord Peter Mandelson’s emails to Jeffrey Epstein, calling for full transparency.
As reported by The Independent, Kemi Badenoch has accused Sir Keir Starmer of lying about his knowledge of Lord Peter Mandelson’s messages to Jeffrey Epstein, which led to Mr Mandelson being removed as UK ambassador to the US.
She said Mr Starmer must answer “very serious questions” and urged “full transparency.”
Kemi Badenoch’s views on Keir Starmer and Mandelson’s emails
Kemi Badenoch posted on social media, alleging that Sir Keir Starmer misled the Commons, a claim that could result in a minister’s resignation or sacking.
She said,
“Looks like the Prime Minister and Labour MPs spent the week lying to the whole country about what they knew regarding Mandelson’s involvement with convicted paedophile Jeffrey Epstein.”
The Tory leader stated,
“If No 10 had those emails for 48 hours before acting, it means he lied at PMQs and ministers lied again about new additional information. These are yet more errors of judgment.”
She said,
“The Prime Minister has very serious questions to answer. The only way to clear this up is full transparency about who knew what, and when.”
How did the PM respond to Mandelson’s messages before his dismissal?
Sir Keir Starmer appointed Lord Mandelson as UK envoy to Washington, but reversed the decision after emails showed Mandelson backing Epstein during his legal troubles.
The Foreign Office received a media inquiry on Tuesday detailing the messages, and the information was forwarded to Number 10.
A government insider said Sir Oliver Robbins asked Lord Mandelson about the emails, but only received a response on Wednesday afternoon.
According to reports, the Prime Minister did not know the contents of the emails until Wednesday evening, following his midday statement expressing “confidence” in Lord Mandelson.
The decision to remove Lord Mandelson from his post was taken on Thursday morning and announced soon after.
The Foreign Office and Downing Street said the emails showed that the scale of Lord Mandelson’s relationship with Epstein was different from what was understood at the time of his appointment.
When questioned about Chief of Staff Morgan McSweeney’s role in Lord Mandelson’s appointment, Downing Street said on Friday that Sir Keir remains confident in his senior team.
What did Olivia Blake say about communication failings in Keir Starmer’s Tteam?
Olivia Blake, the Labour MP for Sheffield Hallam, warned of significant communication breakdowns within the Prime Minister’s inner team.
She said,
“Any operation that fails to tell the Prime Minister when something as substantial as those emails are presented to them clearly has deep failings. Whoever’s gatekeeping the information to the Prime Minister needs to stop – they need to be getting information to him much earlier.”
Ms Blake added,
“We saw through the welfare reforms that they did the same again. They didn’t tell Keir, they didn’t tell the Prime Minister how bad it was on the back benches. So he was putting statements out saying: ‘Oh, some people can sound off.’ Well, the strength of feeling in the PLP was much, much deeper than that. And again, I just think that whoever’s gatekeeping the information to the Prime Minister needs to stop.”
What did Barry Gardiner say about Starmer’s handling of the Mandelson scandal?
Barry Gardiner MP, the Labour backbencher, stated that the scandal “should not have been allowed to happen.”
He declined to discuss personalities when asked about Mr McSweeney, long criticised by the Labour Left as a powerful, right-leaning figure in Downing Street.
Mr Garinder added,
“All I will say is I think that actually the Prime Minister needs to make sure that he has people around him who are prepared to tell him what is actually going on and not simply what they want to tell him or what they think he wants to hear.”
What did Alex Burghart say about Starmer and McSweeney over Mandelson emails?
Alex Burghart, the shadow Cabinet Office minister, stated,
“Who in No 10 knew those details? Did Morgan McSweeney?”
He added,
“Did he advise Starmer to express confidence in his ‘mentor’ Lord Mandelson at PMQs? These questions aren’t going away.”
What did Lucy Powell say about culture at the top of Labour?
Lucy Powell, a candidate to replace Angela Rayner as Labour’s deputy leader, has called for a “change of culture.”
She added,
“We’ve got a bit of a groupthink happening at the top, that culture of not being receptive to interrogation, not being receptive to differing views.”
Key facts about Keir Starmer’s cabinet reshuffle
After Angela Rayner’s resignation as Deputy Prime Minister over tax issues, Keir Starmer made changes to his cabinet. Shabana Mahmood became the first Muslim woman Home Secretary, overseeing immigration.
Yvette Cooper was appointed Foreign Secretary, making the top three posts below the PM held by women. David Lammy was named Deputy Prime Minister and Justice Secretary. These changes reflect a historic reshuffle in the Cabinet.