Kemi Badenoch accuses Sir Keir Starmer of lying in the Commons

Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch has accused Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer of lying in the House of Commons.

Mrs Badenoch claimed Sir Keir had lied about Lord Peter Mandelson, and also about whether she had signed any trade deals.

Her comments came after Iain Dale on LBC asked what her position was on the Iran war, noting that Sir Keir had been “constantly goading” her at Prime Minister’s Questions (PMQs), maintaining that she “supported Donald Trump’s strikes on Iran right from the very beginning”.

The Tory leader said: “I said support Donald Trump, verbal support, express support. And I specifically said ‘like the Canadians and the Australians’, who all came out with statements.

“And I said, why is our country not putting out a statement?”

Adding that Sir Keir was trying to make her “look bad”, Mrs Badenoch said: “This is a man who tells lies at PMQs, just like he did with Peter Mandelson when he said, ‘I didn’t know the full extent of his relationship’, and the papers that were released showed in black and white the opposite.

“He says a lot of things there at the despatch box at PMQs that aren’t true.

“He’ll tell people that I never signed any trade deals. Of course, I did multiple, including the biggest one since Brexit, the CPTPP.”

Later, she added that Sir Keir is “not on top of his brief, he’s evasive, he’s probably lying – I know when he’s lying”.

Dale said: “That’s quite an accusation to make about the Prime Minister.”

Mrs Badenoch replied: “But when he said, ‘She’s never signed any trade deals’, that was an out and out lie.

“Very sadly, I cannot say it on the floor of the House, the Speaker will not allow you to call another MP a liar.”

Deliberately misleading the House of Commons would be considered a breach of the Ministerial Code.

Asked whether the Prime Minister is a “bad person”, Mrs Badenoch said: “Well, it’s my job to hold him to account.

“I don’t think he is doing a good job. I think he is doing a bad job.

“So I talk about the man, the Prime Minister, the character of what I see.

“I have said that he doesn’t tell the truth, and I’ve given examples of that.

“I don’t know how he conducts himself in his personal life. I suspect he’s a good dad and a good family man.

“I only look at him from a professional perspective, and from that perspective, he’s not doing a good job.”

Asked whether she has a good personal relationship with the Prime Minister, Mrs Badenoch said: “I’m not sure anyone has a personal relationship with him.

“I mean, I read all of those quotes from his staff who say they don’t know what he thinks, that he just locks himself in a room and spends all his time reading.”

She added that, outside of PMQs, Sir Keir is “civil”, adding: “He’s not an unpleasant person.”

Labour has been approached for comment.