Keir Starmer scolded for 'causing havoc' by Tory Chairman amid Peter Mandelson row: 'A complete mess!'

Georgia Pearce
Fri, 24 Apr 2026 11:56:36 +0000

Kevin Hollinrake has launched a scathing attack on the Prime Minister over the Peter Mandelson appointment controversy, describing the situation as "a complete mess" that reflects solely on Sir Keir Starmer's judgement.

Speaking to GB News, the Conservative Party Chairman said: "Many people raised eyebrows when he appointed Peter Mandelson in the first place.

"This is somebody who's resigned from office twice in disgrace, who's brought back to the most important diplomatic job that we have."

The Tory chairman argued that Sir Keir's determination to secure Lord Mandelson for the role regardless of consequences led to numerous errors that have since "caused havoc".

TRENDING

Stories

Videos

Your Say

Mr Hollinrake accused the Prime Minister of abandoning officials who had flagged problems with the appointment.

"What we think he has done, he has thrown his civil servants under the bus who raised concerns about it," he said.

The Conservative chairman credited party leader Kemi Badenoch with driving scrutiny of the matter since last September, when her parliamentary questioning of Starmer ultimately resulted in Peter Mandelson's departure from the ambassadorial role.

Mr Hollinrake indicated that further revelations are expected, noting that Morgan McSweeney is scheduled to provide evidence next week, which he suggested would shed additional light on the circumstances surrounding the controversial appointment.

Mr Hollinrake offered a damning verdict on the Prime Minister's conduct throughout the affair, presenting only two possible explanations for what occurred.

"But there's only two things that kind of explain the situation around this, either Keir Starmer has lied or always has been recklessly negligent, and either way disqualifies him from holding the top job in the land," he declared.

The Conservative chairman made clear that neither scenario was acceptable for someone occupying No10, suggesting the controversy raises fundamental questions about Sir Keir's fitness to serve as Prime Minister, regardless of which explanation proves accurate.

Mr Hollinrake also turned his fire on Reform UK leader Nigel Farage, accusing him of making "bold statements" without substantive policy detail to back them up.

LATEST DEVELOPMENTS:

Keir Starmer declares Falkland Islands belong to Britain as he hits back at Donald Trump threat

Keir Starmer’s former chief of staff denies bullying civil servants over Lord Mandelson appointment

Metropolitan Police probe into Lord Mandelson BLOCKED by US Department of Justice

The Conservative chairman contrasted this with his party's commitment to reduce government spending by £47billion, with £23billion of those savings coming from welfare reforms outlined in detailed plans published last autumn.

He said: "And just to give the numbers, we've promised to cut the cost of running government by £47billion, £23billion of that from welfare, and we set out the detailed plans of how we do that last autumn, and there are detailed plans.

"What Nigel Farage has a tendency to do is just come out with bold statements. I'm not saying he's not an effective communicator, but he's not somebody who has a plan to deal with that, the specifics around it."

He emphasised that returning people to employment represents the most effective route to cutting welfare expenditure, criticising Labour's record of overseeing unemployment rising by more than 300,000 since taking office.

Mr Hollinrake said the Conservatives had specific proposals, including reforming disability benefit access for those with lower-level mental health conditions.

He concluded: "The most important way you can cut the cost of welfare is get people back to work, and what we've seen with this Labour Government is the ranks of the unemployed increase by over 300,000 since they took office.

"That's one of the ways we need to get the country back working again, which we're committed to do.

"And that will cut the costs of Government and welfare, as well as reforming things like access to disability benefits for people with low-level mental health conditions, which we've committed to do. But we have detailed plans around that. I'm afraid that Reform and Nigel Farage do not."