Sir Keir Starmer has sparked a fiery GB News row after a Labour ally leapt to the defence of the Prime Minister, following the Peter Mandelson scandal.
Debating the future of the Prime Minister following the disgraced Peer’s exit from the House of Lords, Peter Edwards told GB News that Sir Keir “will survive” the fallout over an “error of judgement”.
Completely disagreeing with Mr Edwards, Conservative member of the London Assembly Alessandro Georgiou hit out at the fellow GB News guest for his “outrageous” defence of Sir Keir’s actions.
As host Nana Akua argued the Prime Minister’s position is “untenable” following the scandal, Mr Edwards said: “It’s been a dire week for Labour and Keir Starmer is fighting for his political future. I believe he can survive and I think he should survive politically, but he needs to come out with a bit of passion.
“I think he’s done a lot of things right, clearly the appointment of Mandelson was a disaster, and it was quite right to make the apology this week.
“Making the appointment of Peter Mandelson was wrong. I believe Keir Starmer is honest, but this was also a judgment failure.”
Urging Sir Keir to “release the Mandelson files” and “clear the corruption”, Mr Edwards told the GB News panel: “First of all, we need to get the release of all the documents from the Government in terms of the appointment of Mandelson.
“But Keir Starmer needs to set out what his vision is for the Labour Government and clear up political corruption.”
Pushing back on Mr Edwards’s argument, Mr Georgiou pressed the ex-Editor of the LabourList: “What would it have taken for Keir Starmer not to have hired Peter Mandelson as ambassador to the US? He was a self-confessed best pal of a paedophile, to which Keir Starmer put him in that position anyway, he clearly didn’t care about the victims then.
Keir Starmer has sparked a fiery GB News row between Peter Edwards and Alessandro Georgiou
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GB NEWS
“And I’ve heard it all now from somebody defending Sir Keir Starmer, the Prime Minister. Seriously, what would that man have to do for you not to defend him and say he needs to go? He’s hired the best pal of a paedophile to one of the most plum jobs in British politics – what more would he have to do to go?”
Mr Edwards responded: “Keir Starmer made a very significant error of judgement, and he apologised for that pretty quickly. But also the public is sick of constantly changing the Prime Minister, they were sick of that under the Tories.
“Keir Starmer, we all know he is fighting for his political future, and it would be naive to pretend otherwise, but there is a leader in there more than just an administrator. But he needs to come out with urgency and energy, say he’s going to clean up political appointments, clean up the Westminster system and set out his direction for Labour Government. I believe he can do it, but now is the time to do it, because there won’t be another chance.”
Highlighting Labour’s other controversial figures, Mr Georgiou hit back: “Angela Rayner allegedly fiddled her taxes, as far as we know, this is why she ain’t going to be Prime Minister.
“Then you’ve got Rushanara Ali with her dodgy rent issue, sacked her. Peter Mandelson, best pal of a paedophile. Labour turns a blind eye to these people.”
Sir Keir apologised to Epstein’s victims on Thursday | PA
Mr Edwards defended the Government further, interjecting: “Rushanara Ali did not break the law. It’s irrelevant to bring that in. She went because of a political issue, don’t lump her into this.
“Rushanara Ali acted lawfully, and also I lived in her constituency for many years, and she is a good constituency MP.”
Shutting down the Labour ally’s defence, Mr Georgiou fumed: “This is the British political Left again. When the Conservatives do it, when any other party does it, it’s wrong. But when Labour does it, it’s fine.”
The ex-LabourList Editor then swiped: “I started this debate by admitting that Keir Starmer had made mistakes. I could spend all this debate talking about Boris Johnson and Covid, but I’d rather answer Nana’s questions rather than throw mud.”
The Tory Assembly member responded: “Well, Boris Johnson ain’t in Government anymore, but two-tier Keir is, and this is the point. Labour has a lot to say when it was Conservatives, when it’s their own, you all row behind them and I think it’s outrageous.
“And if you remember correctly, it was Conservative MPs who dealt with Boris and Liz Truss. Whether you agree with it or not, that’s not the point, but Labour politicians always row behind their people, and now at least you’ve got Gordon Brown on the outside saying something.
“But lo and behold, they haven’t got the bottle to do him in, and I think it’s ridiculous because Labour MPs are hypocrites.”
The GB News panel clashed over Sir Keir’s handling of the Mandelson scandal
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GB NEWS
Dismissing Mr Georgiou’s remarks, Mr Edwards said: “The distinction you draw is nonsense, and the fact you end up with a personal insult really undermines what you’re saying.
“Most parties rally behind their leader when there’s a Government with a large majority, and we saw exactly the same under Boris Johnson.
“When there isn’t a general election, it tends to be the parliamentary party and the backbenchers that determine the fate of their leader.
“Utimately it’s the backbenchers that got rid of Boris Johnson, and it’s the backbenchers whom Keir Starmer is seeking to rally support of this weekend.”
Mr Georgiou snapped back: “Well, if that’s what he’s banking on then he’s finished as far as I’m concerned.”
Mr Edwards then concluded: “And that’s a very witty, throwaway comment and I’m sure the viewers will love it, but we don’t know if he’s finished, because we are going to wait and see the results of the May elections first.”