Keir Starmer ‘should resign’ over Mandelson as PM branded dishonest | Politics | News

Keir Starmer has been branded “lazy and incompetent” in a furious attack by Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch, who demanded his resignation over the Peter Mandelson scandal. He accused the Prime Minister of “dishonesty mixed with weakness, evasion and contempt”.

Sir Keir will make a statement to MPs on Monday after it was revealed that Mandelson was appointed Britain’s ambassador to Washington despite failing the vetting process. Sir Olly Robbins, who was then just weeks into his job as permanent secretary of the Foreign Office, was sacked on Thursday after losing the confidence of Sir Keir and Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper. He is expected to meet with the Foreign Affairs Committee next Tuesday.

But Ms Badenoch accused Sir Keir of blaming the authorities rather than taking responsibility himself.

He said: “A true leader stands up for his country, puts the national interest first and takes blows. But this scandal reveals a man who only cares about himself. Starmer sacrificed his staff, blamed the security services and sent ministers to lie on his behalf.”

“He is disloyal not just to his country but to those who serve him. People can accept a leader who makes an unpopular call and stands by that call; they hate a leader who lets others take the blame while he holds on. When things go wrong, it’s always someone else’s fault. Starmer’s general defense is ‘don’t blame me, I’m just the Prime Minister.’

“The hypocrisy is staggering. The Labor leader has built his reputation on standards, rules and integrity in public life. But voters know that those rules, sacred to the rest of us, are optional when it comes to the powerful. This is dishonesty mixed with weakness, evasion and contempt.”

“Authority does not come only from the title of Prime Minister, it is also gained through integrity and responsibility, which Starmer does not have.

“Either he is lying about what he knows about Mandelson’s appointment, in which case he is corrupting the office, or he is so lazy and incompetent that he is unfit to lead the country.”

He insisted Sir Keir should resign because the scandal was putting England at risk.

Writing in the Mail on Sunday, Ms Badenoch said: “We have a Prime Minister consumed by his own survival. And the longer he hangs on, the more the country drifts helplessly. While he protects himself, decisions are delayed and problems grow.”

“Starmer has no idea how to make this country better, so instead of striving for greatness we become a nation that merely manages decline. “This is not a future I would accept and it is not a future this country deserves.

“This is not a time for soft managerialism, or for leaders to cling to office while the country loses confidence. This is a moment for a government with seriousness, courage and a clear sense of duty to future generations.

“Starmer misled Parliament about Mandelson, he misled the country and he’s fooling the public. This isn’t just a political failure. It’s a moral failure: he’s risked our national security, he’s lost the right to govern, he should resign.”