Starmer needs attack ads because Labour can’t count on right-wing press, says Mandelson

New Labour architect says he would have happily signed-off on ad condemned as ‘gutter politics’

Labour leader Keir Starmer (PA)

New Labour architect Peter Mandelson has backing Labour’s controversial attack ads against Rishi Sunak because the party can’t count on right-wing newspapers to “do it on their behalf”.

The latest invention comes as Wes Streeting defended the anti-Sunak ads to Labour MPs at a meeting of the Parliamentary Labour Party (PLP) on Monday night.

A major row has engulfed Sir Keir Starmer’s party since it claimed on Twitter that Mr Sunak did not think child sex abusers should be in prison – with senior figures accusing the leadership of sliding into “gutter politics”.

But Mr Mandelson defended the now-notorious social media post. Asked if he would have signed off on such an advert in the New Labour days, he told Times Radio: “Yes I would”.

Mr Mandelson said the Tories “have the support of the right-leaning, the Conservative-supporting media” for the personal attacks. “Those newspapers do it on their behalf.”

He added: “That’s the difference between Conservative and Labour. They get the Tory-supporting papers to throw mud and to do all this sort of stuff. The Labour Party doesn’t have that advantage, doesn’t have the same media support in this country that the Conservatives do.”

Mr Streeting – who said at the weekend that there was “more to come” from Labour when it comes to anti-Sunak attack ads – defended the strategy in front of Labour MPs on Monday evening.

The shadow health secretary told them: “Some in the media have said Labour shouldn’t politicise horrific criminal offences going unpunished. We didn’t. The Tories did when they cut 20,000 police officers, stripped our criminal justice system of the ability to do its job, and left 98% of rape victims without justice.”

The close Starmer ally also condemned “cowardly” briefings against shadow home secretary Yvette Cooper after her team made clear she was not responsible for the first, now-notorious social media ad.

Ms Cooper was victim of briefings from unnamed Labour sources which accused her of harbouring leadership ambitions after she appeared to distance herself from the ad accusing Mr Sunak of not believing child sex abusers should be jailed.

Mr Streeting told MPs that Ms Cooper “runs rings around Suella Braverman, as she has has every home secretary the Tories have put up to face her”.

Shadow health secretary Wes Streeting (PA)

One Labour MP had The Independent they wanted “reassurance that the attack ads may continue, but they are accurate and not dog whistle” at Monday’s meeting.

Writing in The Independent at the weekend, Labour MP Barry Gardiner said engaging in a “brutal slugging match of abuse, oversimplification and cheap slogans” was both morally wrong and “bad strategy”.

Lats week Sir Keir defied Labour critics of the child sex abusers ad by saying he stands by “every word” – regardless of how “squeamish” it made some in his own party feel.

Despite the defiance, a planned ad accusing Mr Sunak of effectively “decriminalising” rape was quietly dropped last week amid internal furore. But the party is thought to be keen to use the same format to attack Mr Sunak again in the future.

Meanwhile, Mr Mandelson said the he thinks there was “about an equal chance” of a hung parliament at the next election as there is of a Labour majority despite Labour’s large lead in the polls.

The ex-cabinet minister said: “I would not put money on a Conservative re-election. I know they talk about a narrow path to victory. Well, in my view, it’s very narrow. And obviously, it’s worth talking about, but I don’t think it’s really credible.”

The former New Labour strategist also said it was up to Sir Keir’s team to attack Mr Sunak and make sure the he cannot build a credible claim that the Tories are “under completely new management”.

Mr Mandelson added: “Well, come on, pull the other one, the British public are not stupid. They know what’s been going on for the last 13 years and that’s what they’re going to vote on at the next election.”