GB News presenter Martin Daubney has confronted a Labour peer in a fiery row over the “suspicious” delay of the Lord Mandelson vetting files, demanding the Prime Minister stop hiding behind committees and “give us the important bit.”

Sir Keir Starmer is facing a political reckoning after admitting he knew of Lord Mandelson’s ongoing relationship with Jeffrey Epstein before appointing him as US Ambassador.

Despite pledges of “total transparency,” the Government has handed the crucial files to the Intelligence and Security Committee (ISC), a move that could delay their release.

In a heated exchange on GB News, Martin tore into Lord McCabe’s defence of the Government’s timeline after the Labour peer insisted that “no one is covering anything up”.

The GB News host hit back, accusing Labour of stalling to protect the Prime Minister.

Speaking on Britain’s News Channel, Lord McCabe said: “It’s not a cover-up, and I think you’ve got a pretty short memory if you think this is worse than it was under the Conservatives.

“The reality is that Parliament wasn’t happy with the Cabinet Secretary during the Prime Minister’s handling of getting this material out.

“MPs asked for the Intelligence and Security Committee to look at it. Now you’re complaining because they’re saying they need a bit of time to do that work.

“No one is covering anything up. It would be absolutely stupid to rush this and then face allegations later that the job wasn’t done properly, or that things were missed or concealed.”

Martin said: “We don’t need all of it. Just give us the important bit. Tell us what Starmer knew.”

Lord McCabe replied: “How do you know what the important bit is until the committee has seen it?”

Martin fumed: “But that’s the point, people want answers. The Prime Minister says he wants transparency, but now when are we going to get it? What Christmas?

Mr McCabe hit back: How do we know how long it will take? They’re simply saying it can’t be released instantly because it needs to be properly examined. That’s exactly what Parliament asked them to do yesterday.

LATEST ON THE MANDELSON SCANDAL 

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• Keir Starmer forged his career jailing serious criminals but failed to delve deeper into Mandelson

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.

Today, 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.

Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch has already labelled Sir Keir “self-righteous” and accused him of “playing the victim” while the country remains in a state of paralysis.

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.”