Sir Keir Starmer faced Labour MPs on Monday evening after Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar publicly called for him to stand down, delivering a significant blow to the Prime Minister's embattled leadership. The meeting at Parliament came amid mounting pressure over the appointment of Lord Peter Mandelson as UK ambassador to the US, despite his known links to convicted paedophile Jeffrey Epstein.
Addressing the Parliamentary Labour Party, Starmer told MPs: “I have won every fight I’ve ever been in” and “I’m not prepared to walk away”. Earlier, Downing Street insisted he would not resign and would focus on governing, as senior Cabinet figures including Angela Rayner and Wes Streeting rallied behind him. However, Labour backbencher Chris Hinchliff called for Starmer to resign, describing the Mandelson appointment as “indefensible”.
The crisis deepened after Tim Allan, Starmer’s communications chief, quit on Monday morning, following the resignation of Morgan McSweeney the previous day. Tan Dhesi, Labour MP for Slough, described the situation as an “existential crisis” for the Prime Minister, while Karl Turner praised Starmer’s speech as “reflective, apologetic, but strong”, claiming it had quashed any leadership challenge.
Chancellor Rachel Reeves acknowledged the government had made “mistakes” but promised “lessons will be learnt”, praising Starmer’s “excellent” speech. The fallout from the Epstein files and the Mandelson appointment continues to dominate Westminster, with Starmer’s premiership facing its most severe test since taking office.
