Starmer will be 'very lucky' to last until next May after Mandelson scandal, says Richard Tice
Richard Tice has called on Sir Keir Starmer to answer questions in the House of Commons about Lord Mandelson's appointment to US Ambassador, as he says the Prime Minister will be "very lucky" to last in his position until next May.
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The Reform UK MP for Boston and Skegness said there is "fury on both sides of the House" over Sir Keir's decision to appoint Lord Mandelson "who described themselves as the best pal of a paedophile".
He told LBC's Nick Ferrari at Breakfast he believes the Prime Minister "misled" the House of Commons last Wednesday.
Lord Mandelson was sacked last Thursday after emails were published showing he had sent supportive messages to Epstein, even as the paedophile faced jail for sex offences.
Mr Tice said: "The Prime Minister made the personal decision to appoint and announce that appointment before full security vetting had even started. He can't get away from this fact.
"And the toxic attitude in the tea rooms of the House of Commons amongst Labour MPs is quite extraordinary. He will be very lucky to last until next May."
Read more: Starmer did not know depth of Mandelson's ties to Epstein, says Labour minister
Read more: King complains about Mandelson 'distraction' as Palace prepares for Trump state visit
Nick asked whether the average voter actually cares about the appointment, to which Mr Tice insisted they do.
He said: "This is a Prime Minister who came into power promising a different form of public service with the greatest integrity and transparency.
"And there's no transparency about this."
Mr Tice suggested people feel "they've been conned" and "misled", and are "very, very upset" about it.
Mr Tice said Sir Keir will have to answer questions in the House of Commons "because if people believe that he did what they call 'inadvertently' mislead the House, then he has to come back to the House and apologise"
There have been concerns the scandal could overshadow US President Donald Trump's visit to the UK this week.
Mr Tice said he believes the impact will be "modest" as President Trump focuses on his relationship with the King and trade talks.
"But people won't forget what's happened with this Lord Mandelson affair long after President Trump has returned home," Mr Tice added.
Emails published last week included passages in which Lord Mandelson had told Epstein to “fight for early release” shortly before he was sentenced to 18 months in prison.
He is also reported to have told Epstein “I think the world of you” the day before the disgraced financier began his sentence for soliciting prostitution from a minor in June 2008.
