LONDON (Chatnewstv.com) — Conservative Party leader Kemi Badenoch on Thursday accused Prime Minister Keir Starmer of “fatally flawed judgment” after the dismissal of Peter Mandelson as Britain’s ambassador to the United States over his ties to Jeffrey Epstein.
“Yesterday I told Keir Starmer to sack Peter Mandelson,” Badenoch said in a statement. “Instead, he said he had full confidence in Mandelson. Anyone could see that Mandelson’s position was untenable.”
Mandelson, a former Labour heavyweight, was forced out following revelations of his close association with Epstein, the convicted pedophile, including emails showing he had referred to him as his “best pal.” Additional correspondence suggested Mandelson lobbied for Epstein’s early release from sex crime charges.
“At a time when Russia has made an incursion into the airspace of a NATO ally, threatening the whole of the West, Starmer’s man in Washington was more preoccupied with his political survival,” Badenoch said.
She demanded that the government release all documents relating to Mandelson’s appointment. “Did the Prime Minister not press for further information, or did he know and decide that it was ok?” she said.
Starmer has insisted that “full due process” was followed in the appointment, but Badenoch rejected that defense. “The British people deserve to find out a bit more about that ‘process,’” she said.
The Conservative leader tied the controversy to broader questions about Starmer’s leadership, pointing to a series of personnel changes within the Labour government.
“He got it wrong when he appointed Mandelson. He got it wrong at PMQs yesterday. And he got it wrong when new information came to light last night,” Badenoch said. “This matters to you because Britain cannot afford any more of Keir Starmer’s bad judgments. Putin is testing the resolve of NATO and Britain’s economy is on the brink.”
Badenoch argued that only the Conservatives had the “plans and leadership to pull our country back from the brink,” adding that Britain “cannot afford four more weeks of this, much less four years.”
