A livid row erupted on GB News as Camilla Tominey and Labour minister Tom Hayes clashed over the latest development in the Peter Mandelson scandal. A latest report by The Guardian claimed Mandelson failed the vetting course of in his appointment as the UK’s ambassador to the US and the Foreign Office overruled the choice.

Prime Minister Keir Starmer has claimed he was not conscious that Mandelson failed the vetting course of and said he was “absolutely furious” and it was “staggering” that he had not been informed the Foreign Office had overruled the advice from specialists in the UK Security Vetting workforce. However, questions have remained over whether or not Starmer was conscious beforehand. On GB News, Tominey admitted she was grateful to Hayes for showing on her show as Liz Kendall had refused.

But issues rapidly took a flip when Hayes defended the prime minister and instead blamed the “bonkers” vetting system for the latest revelation in the scandal.

He said: “The rules were changed on Friday, and there will be no more overrides of security vetting for a minute.

“The Prime Minister is coming to Parliament on Monday in order to update the House of Commons. There’ll be a lot of alternatives for questions there too.”

Unconvinced, Tominey said the Labour MP he was “stretching the bounds of her credulity” before asking: “Are you severely suggesting that the previous Director of Public prosecutions was so incurious that he carried on parroting this line, without asking any questions of any officers about whether or not the vetting had really been profitable?”

Hayes continued to staunchly defend the prime minister, insisting Starmer had no idea that Mandelson had failed the vetting process, nor was he aware of the extent of his friendship with Jeffrey Epstein.

Hayes added: “If you need to speak about curiosity, I do not know if you noticed the actually important breaking news. I do not suppose GB News has coated it, which is Richard Tice dodging £100,000 of tax cost.”

Interjecting, Tominey fumed: “This is extraordinary whataboutery! This is totally ridiculous, I’m not speaking about Richard Tice proper now. I’m speaking about the prime minister!”

Interrupting Tominey, Hayes argued: “No you are not, that’s the issue. GB News aren’t speaking about Richard Tice.”

Tominey ordered her guest to “park that proper now”, raging: “This is extraordinary. I would like to speak about the Prime Minister.”

When Hayes questioned why the presenter did not need to talk about Tice allegedly avoiding tax, a pissed off Tominey raged: “Are you for real?

“Are you seriously trying to make a story about the prime minister being on the brink, possibly facing either being sacked or resigning next week?”

Hayes interjected once again, saying: “I’m asking GB News to respect its viewers and to cover all stories that they would find interesting.”

As the pair continued talking over each other, Tominey demanded they “reconstitute” the interview before “you really embarrass yourself!”

“Oh you’re embarrassing yourself too if we’re going down this route,” the politician said.

Making her stance clear, she declared: “I’m going to ask you questions and you’re going to answer them. You’re not asking me the questions because I’m the journalist and you’re the politician.

“Very disturbingly, the Prime Minister knew on Tuesday that Peter Mandelson had failed the vetting and that every part he had said to Parliament and the public, including an exchange with Kemi Badenoch on February 4 and then a press convention in Hastings on February 5 was unsuitable.

“He did not think to mention this to the House of Commons on Wednesday at Prime Minister’s Questions. What’s his excuse for that?”

Hayes responded: “If you, as prime minister are not told about the failure in security vetting or the override and then you do find out, what are you going to do? You’re going to wonder what the hell is going on.

“He instructed his cupboard secretary to assemble the information, and once those information have been assembled, on Monday he’s then coming to the House of Commons, and I hope to see you cowl it.”

A stunned Tominey claimed his response was an “extraordinary attempt to gaslight me and the British public”.

She added: “He knew on Tuesday that Peter Mandelson had failed the vetting. Why on earth did not he suppose to point out that to the House of Commons, that he is now accused of deceptive, either knowingly or unknowingly?”

Hayes hit back: “He’s coming to the House of Commons on Monday, so let’s get away from these course of questions around what he knew when.”

The explosive debate continued, with Tominey remarking: “This is good. You need me to get away from course of questions when the Prime Minister’s complete defence to this farrago is ‘we adopted the method, due course of was adopted’. The course of, the method, the method.

“Everybody listening and watching this thinks that this is a complete and utter disgrace. Why can’t you take responsibility for the fact that if he isn’t a nave and if he isn’t a fool, then he’s a downright hypocrite because we all remember how he treated Boris Johnson during Partygate?”

Mr Hayes acknowledged: “I think there’s a huge difference between the prime minister being denied the information he needs and Boris Johnson, whose staff has partied in Downing Street with suitcases of booze during the pandemic, with the Queen sitting silently and alone in a pew mourning her husband of many decades.

“Any attempt to draw a false equivalence on this station is disrespectful to your viewers, and I believe you realize in your coronary heart that what you are saying there is not equal, but you are pushing it out because, frankly, it’ll get the clicks.

“And as a consequence of getting the clicks, it will help you to get more attention.”

Concluding their dialog, Tominey said: “After this interview I don’t think I need to be helping anybody get any clicks, because your response to what has been going on in the last 48 hours is absolutely astounding.”