𝓤𝓷𝓲𝓽𝓮𝓭 𝓝𝓮𝔀𝓼

When Britain’s most popular political leader takes on the most disliked Prime Minister in history, there’s only going to be one outcome. So, when Kemi Badenoch strode into PMQs, she did so with an air of confidence, buoyed by polling that shows voters believe she is the real deal.

She was immediately at full throttle, demanding Sir Keir Starmer act to help struggling motorists fill their tanks. The thing is, war in the Middle East has sent oil prices into spasm, leaving Britons facing a steep rise in the cost of petrol and diesel.

A freeze on fuel duty is due to end in September, undoubtedly adding to the pain for drivers. Mrs B quite rightly urged the Prime Minister to extend the freeze and spare millions from a needless hit to their cost of living.

Jutting out his Buzz Lightyear jaw, Sir Keir refused, before soothing the nation by insisting he is “monitoring” the situation. Like the other toys in Toy Story, Buzz comes to life, but is unaware that he is a toy, instead believing himself to be a real space ranger. The same goes for Starmer who believes he is a real leader.

He spent the rest of a very boisterous session attempting to take the moral high ground over Britain’s response to the Iran conflict. The weekly Commons face-off was, of course, the prelude to the publication of the first batch of Mandelson files.

Let’s not forget, the scandal over the disgraced Peer nearly cost Sir Keir his job a few weeks ago. The new documents, helpfully contained in a succinct 147-page pdf document, show why the row became so dangerous.

Starmer had already been warned there was a “reputational risk” before Mandelson’s appointment as US Ambassador was signed off.

Yet he gave the green light anyway.

That single decision detonated the biggest political crisis of Sir Keir’s premiership so far, sending shockwaves through Westminster and triggering a week of chaos inside Downing Street.

Senior advisers quit, Labour MPs demanded answers and Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar took the extraordinary step of publicly calling for the Prime Minister to resign.

The files are only the first tranche, with further damaging material still to come.

That means the Mandelson saga could continue to hang over Downing Street for some time yet.

Eventually in Toy Story, Buzz finally accepts that he is not a real space ranger.