Kemi Badenoch has accused Sir Keir Starmer of “playing the victim” in the wake of the Lord Mandelson scandal, branding the Prime Minister “self-righteous” for refusing to take personal responsibility for the controversial appointment.

In a scathing assessment of the Government’s conduct, the Conservative leader dismissed the Prime Minister’s claims that he was misled by Lord Mandelson.

Mrs Badenoch claimed that the Prime Minister was fully aware of the risks, having seen the security vetting files long before the appointment was made.

Speaking to GB News, the Leader of the Opposition said: “This is complete nonsense and everybody knows it. I asked him a very, very specific question yesterday about whether the information about the continued relationship was included in the security vetting and he said yes that this stuff was on Google for anyone who was looking.

“So for him now to pretend he didn’t know, when the FTC said to him directly in 2024, long before the appointment, that Mandelson had continued this relationship is simply not true.

“And I’m shocked that he’s now playing the victim saying ‘Oh, I’m just like you guys, I was lied to by Peter Mandelson I didn’t know.’

“The fact is, he should be apologising for appointing that man despite the security advice and vetting information which he saw.

“That’s what people want to see. But he is so self-righteous that he cannot bring himself to do that.”

GB News senior political correspondent Katherine Forster said: “You’ve said somebody needs to go. It’s clear the Prime Minister’s chief of staff, Morgan McSweeney, pushed this appointment.

“Sue Gray didn’t want it, if Morgan McSweeney goes would that be sufficient to save the Prime Minister after May?

Mrs Badenoch: “It depends on exactly what we see in the files. I do think someone needs to take responsibility, someone needs to go.

“But I’m not interested in the Prime Minister’s job security. I’m interested in what’s happening in our country. As I said earlier in my speech, Britain is not being governed. Nothing is happening despite the huge majority they have.

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“We have plans that could work. We have a plan to lower energy costs. A plan to save the high street, abolishing business rates. Let’s get rid of stamp duty and get the housing market moving.

“Let’s leave the ECHR. Borders need to be controlled. Public order needs to be restored.

“There is so much that could be happening but nothing is. Instead, all we’re talking about is whether Keir Starmer stays in his job, what happens on May 7, and who’s going to win more councils. The country is not being governed and I’m worried about that.”

This comes after the Prime Minister has apologised to the victims of Jeffrey Epstein for believing Lord Mandelson’s “lies” and appointing him as the UK’s ambassador to the US.

Several Labour MPs have spoken out against Lord Mandelson’s appointment and criticised the Government’s initial refusal to make public all papers linked to the decision, with some raising doubts over the Prime Minister’s ability to remain in office.

After a backlash, the Government agreed that any documents deemed sensitive including those that could affect national security or diplomatic relations will instead be reviewed by Parliament’s Intelligence and Security Committee to decide whether they can be released, rather than being withheld entirely.

Directly addressing Epstein’s victims, Sir Keir said: “I am sorry, sorry for what was done to you, sorry that so many people with power failed you. Sorry for having believed Mandelson’s lies and appointed him and sorry that even now you’re forced to watch this story unfold in public once again.

“But I also want to say this: in this country, we will not look away, we will not shrug our shoulders, and we will not allow the powerful to treat justice as optional.

“We will pursue the truth. We will uphold the integrity of public life, and we will do everything within our power and in the interests of justice to ensure accountability is delivered.

“That is what the public expects. That is what the victims deserve, and it is what I will do.”