Starmer ‘squandered’ political capital saving his skin over Mandelson – Badenoch

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 British 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, Starmer 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, Badenoch accused Starmer of “begging” his MPs to back him, adding: “The whole country is sick of this man’s tone deaf, pompous moralising.”

Opening the final PMQs before Parliament is suspended, 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?”

Starmer replied: “She talks about political games. That’s what she was doing yesterday.”

Badenoch later added of Starmer : “Last week we all saw him punch the Speaker’s chair. This is not a man who is in control.”