Labour Leadership Crisis Deepens as Senior Figures Warn Starmer
Prime Minister Keir Starmer has been told to 'get your act together' by former Home Secretary Lord Blunkett, as the Peter Mandelson scandal threatens to engulf the Labour government and spark leadership challenge discussions. The warning comes amid police raids on two of Lord Mandelson's properties as part of an investigation into allegations he leaked sensitive information to convicted paedophile Jeffrey Epstein during Gordon Brown's administration.
Polling Expert Warns of Labour's 'Partygate' Moment
Renowned polling guru Professor Sir John Curtice has issued a stark warning that the Mandelson affair could become Labour's equivalent of the 'partygate' scandal that contributed to Boris Johnson's downfall. Speaking exclusively to The Mirror, Curtice emphasized the long-term brand damage facing both Starmer personally and the Labour Party more broadly.
'We haven't forgotten Partygate. And we haven't forgotten the Liz Truss fiscal event,' Curtice stated. 'The problem is that it's going to enter the lexicon, or could well enter the lexicon. One of the challenges for certainly Starmer personally but also in the risk for the Labour Party more generally is that it tarnishes the brand in a long-term sense.'
Blunkett's Direct Warning to the Prime Minister
Lord Blunkett delivered his blunt assessment to The Mirror, outlining the only path to avoiding a leadership challenge. 'The only way to avoid a challenge to the leadership is to 'get your act together'; demonstrate success and start winning people back to the vital cause of seeing off the far-right and delivering improvement to the people we care for.'
The former Home Secretary's intervention follows Gordon Brown's admission that Starmer had been 'too slow to do the right things' over the crisis, despite praising the Prime Minister as a 'man of integrity'.
Union Concerns and Leadership Speculation
Further pressure emerged from union circles, with a senior union figure warning: 'He needs to turn it around and fast. Or he's done.' However, the source noted that potential leadership rivals including Angela Rayner, Wes Streeting and Andy Burnham remain 'untested' on policy ideas.
Gordon Brown described the situation facing Starmer as 'serious' during a BBC Radio 4 Today programme interview, while insisting leadership speculation was simply part of the job. 'It happened to me, it happened to Tony Blair. It happens to everybody about how their future should be gauged. But this is serious, and the task is very clear. The task is we've got to clean up the system, a total clean-up of the system, an end to the corruption and unethical behaviour.'
Government Response and Westminster Clean-Up
A Government spokesman outlined measures already implemented to address ethical concerns in Westminster, including:
- Strengthening the ministerial code with greater powers for independent investigators
- Introducing a new monthly register of gifts and hospitality
- Establishing a new ethics commission
- Ensuring ministers who break rules cannot receive severance payments
The spokesman acknowledged Brown's call for further action, stating: 'But Gordon Brown is right that further action is needed in light of what has emerged this week – and we have already begun urgent work on how we can do more.'
Parliamentary Labour Party Tensions
Starmer attempted to calm rising anger within the parliamentary Labour party by hosting MPs at his Chequers retreat, admitting 'the last couple of days have been really tough' and sharing their 'anger and frustration'. He emphasized the need to maintain 'the politics of service and making a difference' despite the corrosive challenge posed by Mandelson's alleged behaviour.
Scotland Yard confirmed ongoing inquiries into allegations that Lord Mandelson sent market-sensitive information to Epstein while serving as business secretary during the financial crisis under Gordon Brown's government.
Backbench Concerns and Leadership Challenge Prospects
Labour backbenchers expressed mixed views about the Prime Minister's position. One MP predicted the Mandelson row would prove 'the straw that breaks the camel's back', describing the situation as 'Boris gov 2.0 on digging themselves a deeper hole and not reading the room'.
Another backbencher was more blunt: 'It's f***ing over, it was before, but it was less over. Things have shifted for colleagues in the last 36 hours.'
However, an influential MP suggested most Labour MPs recognized the Mandelson appointment as a mistake but lacked appetite for a leadership challenge. 'There are people who will sign any letter to be unhelpful, and at any given moment call for a leadership change. There was talk before of a change in January, and nobody made a move.'
The MP added that while frustration remained understandable, 'the majority of people, who might not speak to journalists, are cracking on with their work, and recognise mistakes happen. If someone were to go over the top, I think they would find the silent majority would not be with them on any kind of challenge.'
Mixed Signals from Constituency Level
One MP from the 2024 intake noted positive feedback about Starmer's handling of international relations earlier in the year, particularly regarding Donald Trump and Greenland. However, they observed: 'But now we seem to be back where we started.'
Another MP expressed sympathy for Starmer's frustration that his Pride in Place scheme announcement – focusing on funding for deprived areas – had been overshadowed by the scandal. 'If you look at what he said in his speech, he showed us him at his best. He was talking about cohesion and standing up against division. He really does care about that.'
