DAN HODGES: Starmer is playing Russian roulette. Every time he refuses to answer a question, another chamber of the gun rotates

So Keir Starmer finally came clean and revealed to the House of Commons who was responsible for the appointment of Peter Mandelson as Ambassador to Washington, despite the objections of the security forces.

This was everyone’s fault except Keir Starmer.

Peter Mandelson betrayed him. Former Foreign Office permanent secretary Olly Robbins misled him. The review process failed him. He simply followed administrative precedents, which brutally disappointed him.

There was a general and abstract acceptance that Mandelson should never have been appointed in the first place. But none of the specific mistakes that led to one of the biggest security breaches in post-Cold War British history were made by him.

The Prime Minister did his best to perpetuate this ridiculous notion. Stone walls. Surprised. And he flat out lied.

Just before he stood to give his evidence, Sir Keir was confronted with a devastating new revelation: a note sent to him by former Cabinet Secretary Simon Case, specifically advising him to ensure that Mandelson had been subject to appropriate scrutiny and received all appropriate review clearances before his appointment.

But Starmer had ignored Case. ‘From where?’ was asked many times.

He exaggerated his answer. Yes, that was what he had been advised to do, but he insisted – often in disbelief – that a year later he had been given another piece of paper by another official saying he had done everything by the book.

Sir Keir faces allegations he misled Parliament after insisting MPs were kept in the dark that the correct process was followed in appointing Lord Mandelson to the US ambassador post and that the fellow had been red-flagged by security experts

Sir Keir Starmer reacted after Conservative Party leader Kemi Badenoch’s statement about the security investigation in the London House of Commons

Kemi Badenoch, at her focused and forensic best, asked him a series of six specific questions.

She was aware that the last time she had tried to accuse him of this, he had evaded everything, and had wisely taken the step of giving her the questions beforehand. It didn’t make any difference. He dodged and touched again. Until we get to the last question.

Yesterday morning the Daily Mail published a story about Mandelson’s long-standing links to a company called Sistema, one of Russia’s largest defense contractors, which is reportedly ‘riddled with spies’. Was Starmer aware of this relationship? he asked.

This time Sir Keir did not stir matters. He flatly refused to answer.

Today’s statement was widely perceived as a showdown against the Prime Minister. But actually it presented him with an opportunity.

We were told last week that he was furious to learn he had been misled. It was unacceptable to hide the truth from him. So this was his chance to clean up Mandelson’s entire mess by telling the truth.

And he flatly refused to take it. Lawmakers from all sides of the House have repeatedly tried to pin him down with very specific questions. And he retreated into legal generalizations at every opportunity.

Sir Keir revealed too much to answer to his interrogators.

A man with something to hide. And he intends to use every trick in the book to prevent the truth about the Mandelson affair from coming to light.

But his crude attempt at a cover-up is doomed to fail.

He may not even survive another 24 hours.

Today, late fall man Olly Robbins will present his own evidence to the Foreign Affairs Select Committee. And allies of the sacked civil servant told reporters that he did not intend to carry the box on behalf of the Prime Minister.

Sir Keir effectively fired senior Foreign Office official Sir Olly Robbins last week after it emerged that Lord Mandelson had been given enhanced review (DV) status despite checks carried out by the body responsible for assessing security clearances failing.

Today’s statement was widely perceived as a showdown against the Prime Minister.

But even if Robbins does not arrive in Parliament with a smoking gun, it is now only a matter of time before the Mandelson scandal finally consumes the Starmer premiership.

In a few weeks, the British people will announce their decision on the issue through the ballot box.

Soon, the next tranche of emails, messages and documents related to Mandelson’s appointment will be released to the House of Representatives and the country. Then the police investigation will reach its conclusion. A parallel investigation is also being carried out by the EU’s fraud detectives.

There is no escape for the Prime Minister. He is effectively participating in a game of parliamentary Russian roulette.

Every time he refuses to answer a question, another chamber of the gun turns.

And sooner or later he will realize that there is a question with his name on it.

It may have already been asked. Every evasion, half-truth and outright lie from Sir Keir is now firmly in the public record. Now all it takes is for a forgotten note or hastily written WhatsApp message to come to light.

And it will eventually come to light for one simple reason: Keir Starmer has finally run out of people to blame.

He accused and dismissed the Chief of Staff, the Cabinet Secretary and the permanent secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. He personally accused and dismissed Peter Mandelson.

So there’s only one person left.

Despite his desperate efforts, we are one day closer to the moment when the Mandelson scandal brings down Kier Starmer.