Sir Keir Starmer has come under growing pressure over his decision to appoint Lord Mandelson as the UK’s man in Washington after Tory leader Kemi Badenoch called for an ethics probe.
The Prime Minister issued a grovelling apology during a visit to Northern Ireland yesterday.
However, the Tories and Reform UK have now put pressure on Sir Keir to resign over the scandal.
Mrs Badenoch last night doubled down on her criticisms of the Prime Minister, with the Tories last night sending a letter demanding an investigation into the release of a 147-page dossier on Wednesday.
She said: “I am astonished the Prime Minister can actually look himself in the mirror right now.
“It is very clear that he told lie after lie after lie about the appointment of Peter Mandelson.
“He has been dishonest with Parliament and with the country.”
“And Labour MPs, in good conscience, should be looking at whether or not this man should be leading our country.”
The Leader of the Opposition is also calling on the Prime Minister’s ethics adviser Sir Laurie Magnus to investigate “serious deficiencies in the released material”.
Shadow Minister Alex Burghart wrote to Sir Magnus just 36 hours after the first batch of documents concerning Lord Mandelson’s appointment was released on Wednesday.
“There is no document disclosing whether these reservations were communicated to the Prime Minister,” Mr Burghart said.
Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey has also suggested Sir Keir should refer himself to Sir Magnus.
No10 consistently denies there has been a cover-up.
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'This is on him!' James Cleverly warns PM's credibility 'undermined' by Mandelson scandal
Sir James Cleverly has warned the Prime Minister's credibility has been "undermined" by the scandal surrounding Lord Mandelson's appointment as the UK's man in Washington.
Speaking to GB News, Sir James said: "He always tries to blame other people, this is on him."
"The Prime Minister told us that he was lied to by Peter Mandelson.
"We now find out, in reporting in The Times, that he didn't even speak to Peter Mandelson before appointing him.
"The Prime Minister is changing his story over and over again."
He added: "He always tries to blame other people, this is on him."
Lib Dems join calls for PM to face ethics probe
Lib Dems join calls for the Prime Minister to face an ethics probe
|GB NEWS
Sir Keir Starmer should face a probe from his independent ethics adviser, the Liberal Democrats have said.
Speaking to GB News this morning, Liberal Democrat MP Lisa Smart said: "The evidence that came out in the Mandelson files this week shows that Peter Mandelson was receiving very high-level briefings before the vetting had been concluded.
"I suggested that the Prime Minister should refer himself to his ethics adviser because what he has said doesn't quite match up with what the evidence suggests."
UK economy records zero growth - and that's before the Iran war energy shock hits
The UK economy failed to grow in January, raising fresh concerns about the strength of the recovery.
Figures from the Office for National Statistics show GDP was unchanged during the month, disappointing economists who had expected growth of around 0.2 per cent.
The data follows modest expansions of 0.1 per cent in December and 0.2 per cent in November 2025.
Within the figures, the services sector showed no growth, production fell by 0.1 per cent and construction rose by 0.2 per cent in January.
Economists have warned the outlook could deteriorate further as rising energy costs threaten to weigh on activity. Brent crude remains above $100 a barrel after climbing sharply since the conflict involving Iran began almost two weeks ago.
PM receives resignation warning over imminent release of Mandelson messages
Sir Keir Starmer has been warned a deluge of resignations could rock No10 following the imminent release of WhatsApp messages concerning Lord Mandelson's appointment as the UK's ambassador in the US.
The Guardian last night revealed that officials believe some of the exchanges to be released in the next tranche of Lord Mandelson files will be damaging enough to lead to further departures.
Senior ministers, civil servants and special advisers have been asked to have their phone messages examined, including ex-Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner.
Morgan McSweeney had a "back and forth" with former communications director Matthew Doyle over Lord Mandelson's appointment.
Both men have since left Downing Street.