Labour MPs have warned that Keir Starmer's days as prime minister are numbered after a day of fury over the appointment of Peter Mandelson as US ambassador despite his friendship with Jeffrey Epstein. The government was on the brink of a Commons defeat until a mid-debate amendment brokered by Meg Hillier and Angela Rayner forced the release of documents about Mandelson's appointment and his relationship with the convicted child sex offender.
MPs said the eventual release of the documents, which may be delayed by a police investigation into Mandelson, could trigger a leadership challenge. One MP said: 'We need all the poison to come out.' A former minister added: 'We've had a lot of bad days recently, but this is the worst yet, I think.' Another MP warned: 'Trust is finite. I'm personally not sure I could trust myself to back the prime minister in a confidence vote.'
MPs noted that Starmer's admission at Prime Minister's Questions that he had known about Mandelson's friendship with Epstein before his appointment was a clarifying moment. One MP said: 'You could feel the atmosphere change; it was dark.' No 10 said afterwards that the prime minister was only aware of what was already in the public domain. A backbencher called it 'indefensible', adding: 'They knew all about Peter's relationship with Epstein but gave him the job anyway.'
Several MPs called for the resignation of the prime minister's chief of staff, Morgan McSweeney, who had been close to Mandelson. The Metropolitan Police blocked the release of certain documents, citing a potential criminal investigation into Mandelson's apparent sharing of confidential government documents with Epstein. Downing Street attempted to mitigate the Conservatives' bid to release the documents by adding exemptions, which MPs called a 'cover-up'.
Angela Rayner, the former deputy prime minister, intervened to broker an amendment that saved the government from defeat. One MP said: 'Yet again the prime minister has to thank Angela Rayner's swift political judgment to save this government from itself.' Another MP backed Rayner for a leadership bid, saying: 'The sooner the day comes that she's making the original decisions, the better.' However, one Labour backbencher said that while there was much heat and noise, few MPs were yet willing to challenge Starmer openly.
