A mouse was seen scurrying past Kemi Badenoch as she used a TV interview to lay into Labour over the Peter Mandelson scandal.
The Conservative leader was demanding that Sir Keir Starmer release information about the appointment of Lord Mandelson as ambassador to the US when the rodent dashed out from a table behind her.
Mrs Badenoch did not appear to notice the mouse running across the floor during an ITV interview with Robert Peston on Wednesday.
She told Mr Peston that Labour ‘had to give in’ as she urged the Prime Minister to release all the information about the security vetting of Lord Mandelson within 48 hours.
The Prime Minister had attempted to restrict the release of some files relating to Mandelson’s appointment as US ambassador on the grounds of national security.
But following a revolt from Labour MPs led by Sir Keir’s former deputy Angela Rayner, the Government has now agreed it will not have the final decision on what material is released.
Downing Street has admitted that Sir Keir knew Lord Mandelson had continued his relationship with Epstein after he was released from prison in 2009 for child sex offences, even staying at his house while he was business secretary in the last Labour government.
Sir Keir continued to defend the then-ambassador even after the release last September of a birthday tribute in which Lord Mandelson called Epstein his ‘best pal’.
Under pressure from MPs who feared a ‘cover-up’, Sir Keir instead accepted the decision will be made by Parliament’s Intelligence and Security Committee (ISC).
MPs this evening approved the release of documents to the ISC following an hours-long debate in the House of Commons, but ministers said the files would not be released immediately.
Sir Keir had initially wanted Sir Chris Wormald, the top civil servant, to decide what documents could be released on national security grounds or because they could prejudice international relations.
The Prime Minister handpicked Lord Mandelson as US ambassador before being forced to sack him in September over his ties to paedophile Jeffrey Epstein, who died in 2019.
Sir Keir has claimed he did not know the full extent of Lord Mandelson’s friendship with Epstein when he appointed him.
But, during a bruising session of Prime Minister’s Questions this afternoon, Sir Keir for the first time admitted he knew when installing Lord Mandelson that the peer’s relationship with Epstein continued after the financier’s initial conviction for sex offences.
There has been further intense scrutiny of Sir Keir’s initial decision to appoint Lord Mandelson following the release of millions of documents, known as the ‘Epstein files’, in the US.
No 10 later said Sir Keir had not appreciated the ‘depth and extent’ of his relationship with Epstein until the release of emails a few days later which showed Lord Mandelson had encouraged the disgraced financier to lodge an appeal against his conviction.
Downing Street said it was the ‘longstanding policy’ of successive governments not to release confidential advice to the prime minister, such as vetting material.
While Mrs Badenoch’s office had a reported mouse sighting, MPs, peers and staff have long complained about infestations of mice in the historic Parliamentary buildings, with regular sightings in canteens even running across desks.
In 2023, the Parliament’s pest control bill rose to £136,000 last year amid complaints that Westminster is infested with mice.
The increase could fuel calls for cats to be let loose on the estate, despite years of resistance to the idea from officials.
Both Keir Starmer and Rachel Reeves have previously drafted in felines to their Downing Street residences, with insiders making clear the rodent problem influenced the decisions.
The Parliamentary authorities have previously stressed that the estate ‘is made up of a large number of buildings of various ages, covering approximately 258,000 square metres close to the River Thames in Central London’.
‘It is therefore vulnerable to populations of animals which can cause significant damage to the fabric of the buildings and health and safety issues,’ they said.
‘Controlling these pests is a major undertaking and is conducted by a full-time pest control technician provided as part of the Houses’ pest control contract and a contract for bird control, alongside a world-leading expert consultant who undertakes regular reviews.
‘All pest control on the Estate is undertaken in accordance with appropriate regulatory standards.’
