How Badenoch landed her first real punch

It was meant to suggest gravitas and experience, but appointing Peter Mandelson as Britain’s man in Washington has instead inflicted profound damage on Sir Keir Starmer – and shown, yet again, just how easily this Labour government can be knocked off balance by its political choices.

Kemi Badenoch and her team have been making the most of the situation, sensing an opportunity to deepen the wounds, secure a major political scalping and cast doubt on both the Prime Minister’s own judgement and the actions of some of his closest advisers.

Spot any of her allies around Westminster and they have had a wry smile after their first successful week for a while.

It was late in the evening before PMQs that Badenoch settled on using her time at the despatch box to skewer Starmer over Mandelson’s appointment to the US ambassador job and his relationship with Jeffrey Epstein. In a WhatsApp group chat of trusted advisors that make up her PMQs prep team, she messaged until 11pm deciding on the subject.

The previous week’s PMQs had gone down terribly with Tory MPs as she failed to land any real blows on Angela Rayner despite an open goal with the former deputy PM and housing secretary’s tax issues – and there was recognition that something was needed, as one Badenoch ally tells me, “to rally the troop’s spirits”.

There was some discussion, after Poland – a Nato country – had to shoot down Russian drones in their airspace, about splitting up the Tory leader’s six questions into the two subjects but a decision was made to use all of them to hammer the PM on Mandelson and Epstein, drawing focus on the government being distracted by serious issues because they were dealing with the fallout of appointing the “best pal” of a notorious paedophile as US ambassador.

When a teaser formMandelson’s interview with The Sun’s Harry Cole dropped an hour before PMQs, in which the US ambassador said there’s more “very embarrassing” revelations to come, Badenoch turned to her team and said it was only a matter of time before he was gone. She wanted to use the opportunity to force Starmer to back him at the despatch box and secure a key blow on the PM’s judgement when he would only later have to sack him – and, according to her allies, when sitting in the chamber, sensing that he didn’t have support from his benches, Badenoch felt spurred on to do just that in her first question. “A Nato country has just had to defend itself against Russian drones. Now more than ever, we need our ambassador to Washington fully focused on this issue, and liaising closely with America. Does the Prime Minister have full confidence in Peter Mandelson?”

Starmer boldly declared: “I have confidence in him.” That was until the next morning when he got rid of him.

The last time Mandelson left government under a dark cloud was when he resigned over the Hinduja passport affair in 2001 when William Hague was leader of the opposition. Badenoch’s new PPS John Glen was working for Hague and in PMQs prep at the time – and many of his current colleagues think he, along with the help of shadow defence secretary James Cartlidge, is partly to thank for the successful outing this week.

In opposition PMQs is a chance to both shape the agenda but also contribute and further the story of the day; get the party’s attack lines leading the news coverage. Badenoch has seemed reluctant to use it in this political way before and it has been causing her trouble, but if this has finally proven that it leads to successful outings then perhaps we will see more.

As one of her advisors tells me: “There was a question to start with about whether we should go on welfare – that was going to be our agenda for the week. But it was time for her to be political and move with the news, and that’s exactly what she did. She has gripped it.”

Another says: “Kemi made a serious offer to the Prime Minister on Tuesday to work to cut welfare and the government dismissed it. The more partisan they are, the more she wants to skewer him by his own actions.”

It was her most well received PMQs performance yet, with numerous MPs sending her congratulatory texts. One shadow cabinet minister from the green benches messaged me to say: “Keir looked totally taken by surprise from down here and hopeless without lines to read aloud.” Another said: “Easily Kemi’s best outing.”

One MP was slightly less glowing but still pleased: “Low bar after last week’s nightmare but much more like it. Mandelson is the hot issue and we have to be adroit enough to react to breaking news.”

Then the emails of Mandelson calling Epstein “my best pal” and praising the American’s “glorious homes he likes to share with his friends (yum yum)”, urging the paedophile to fight for early release after his conviction in Florida in 2008 for procuring a child for prostitution, leaked. It seemed to be the final straw for Starmer, although it took him an entire night to realise.

Mandelson claims that he openly admitted during his vetting interview that he had maintained his friendship with Epstein. And it is being reported that while Sue Gray was still in No.10, his name did not appear on the ambassadorial shortlist.

So why did that change? What exactly did Starmer know and when? And the same questions go to his lieutenant Morgan McSweeney who Sky News reports personally pushed for his appointment and spent recent days defending him. Labour’s political judgement has shown to be lacking, and it is a chance for the Tories in opposition to prove themselves: find the fracture and keep at it to prove the entire structure is unsound.

Neil O’Brien, the new Tory head of policy, tabled an Urgent Question to try to force Starmer’s hand. Gavin Williamson tabled an early day motion calling for Mandelson’s resignation. The party is now pushing for the release of all files on Lord Mandelson and Epstein. There is fun, with real consequences, to be had in opposition – and hopefully this marks the beginning of the party using Parliament to its advantage to do so.

“She’s had a good week but it doesn’t change some of the fundamental problems,” one member of her shadow cabinet says. But another tells me: “We’re not getting ahead of ourselves. We know there is much more work to be done.”

It may be an understatement after a dreary summer where Reform UK took centre stage and a faltering return to Parliament. With conference fast approaching and tetchy MPs and membership, the results of that work needs to start showing quickly.