Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch is rattling the cage again. She’s demanding answers over why vital documents promised by Sir Keir Starmer about Lord Mandelson’s controversial US ambassador appointment haven’t been published – accusing the government of a blatant cover-up ahead of Wednesday’s PMQs.
Badenoch vows to grill PM on missing Mandelson files
During a nostalgic visit to a McDonald’s kitchen in Ruislip, north-west London, Badenoch said she will press Prime Minister Starmer at PMQs on why the Cabinet Office is dragging its feet. The files are meant to show how Mandelson scored the ambassador role despite his shady links to convicted paedophile Jeffrey Epstein.
“Tomorrow at Prime Minister’s Questions, the Prime Minister will need to explain why the documents he promised to release last week have not turned up yet,” Badenoch warned.
She added, “What are they covering up? The Cabinet Office has told ministers not to release their text messages like the Health Secretary. Wes Streeting did. There’s something they’re trying to hide, and I’m going to get to the bottom of it.”
‘Labour leader in peril’ – Badenoch on party chaos
Badenoch didn’t stop there. Speaking to reporters after whipping up a sausage McMuffin and hash brown – her first time back in a McDonald’s kitchen in 30 years – she slammed Sir Keir for being in a “very dangerous place” despite dodging a leadership coup.
“The Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar said the quiet bit out loud. Labour MPs and the Labour Party have lost confidence in their leader,” she said.
She claims Labour MPs are too scared to act, fearing for their own jobs, giving Starmer a “stay of execution”.
“The sad thing is that the country is suffering from not being governed at all,” Badenoch concluded.
Mandelson scandal deepens amid Labour turmoil
Starmer got a brief lifeline on Monday when Labour ministers publicly backed him despite the scandal over Mandelson’s Epstein links. But questions keep mounting over the delayed release of documents promised last week – documents key to understanding the bizarre appointment process.
Wednesday’s PMQs will be Badenoch’s first chance to hit Starmer directly about the missing papers. The opposition fears a deliberate hold-up as the government tries to manage the fallout from the embarrassment.
Back to basics: Badenoch’s trip down memory lane
On a lighter note, Badenoch’s McDonald’s visit was more than just a political prop. Reflecting on her teenage job flipping burgers, she admitted:
“I did have a sausage and egg McMuffin. It’s been 30 years since I last worked at McDonald’s but there are lots of good memories.”
She has said before that working at McDonald’s was when she “became working class” – a humble start that now fuels her fight for transparency and accountability at Westminster.
