‘Does the prime minister not recognise that the best thing he can do to restore trust [...] is to take true responsibility and resign?’
Green MP Dr Ellie Chowns used her question at PMQs to call on Keir Starmer to resign as prime minister.
In a fiery speech, Chowns accused Starmer of appointing Peter Mandelson, who had links to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, “in a desperate and doomed attempt to pander to Donald Trump”.
Chowns alleged that Starmer knew about Mandelson’s involvement in Kremlin-linked company Sistema and his friendship with Epstein.
She also criticised the PM for taking “a dismissive and extraordinarily incurious attitude to vetting, compromising national security”.
This comes after Sir Olly Robbins, former head of the foreign office, who Starmer fired last week, told the Foreign Affairs select committee that there was a “dismissive approach” to Mandelson’s vetting at No 10.
In reference to Starmer sacking Robbins, she added: “Now he has thrown a civil servant under the bus to save his own skin.”
The Green MP continued to criticise Starmer, stating: “All this from a prime minister who promised to restore trust and integrity in government, but who has repeatedly betrayed the trust of voters and let the country down.”
Chowns then asked Starmer: “Does the prime minister not recognise that the best thing he can do to restore trust and integrity is to take true responsibility and resign?”.
The prime minister did not respond to Chowns’ call for him to resign.
Instead, Starmer said the Green MP was wrong about there being “a dismissive attitude” to vetting.
The prime minister said: “Mr Speaker, let me just correct what she said. There was no dismissive attitude to developed vetting, I knew the post was subject to developed vetting.”
He added: “it was subject to developed vetting, what didn’t happen was that I wasn’t told about the UKSV recommendation. That was a serious error of judgement.”
Starmer once again said that if he’d known about the UK Security Vetting Recommendation he wouldn’t have appointed Mandelson.
Chowns shook her head at Starmer’s response.
Olivia Barber is a reporter at Left Foot Forward
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