Scottish Labour Leader Demands Prime Minister's Resignation
Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar has delivered a significant blow to Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer's fragile authority by publicly calling for his resignation. The intervention comes as the Prime Minister battles to remain in Downing Street following the scandal surrounding Lord Peter Mandelson's appointment as British ambassador to Washington.
Most Senior Labour Figure to Call for Change
Mr Sarwar used a hastily convened press conference in Glasgow to declare that "the distraction needs to end and the leadership in Downing Street has to change." He becomes the most senior Labour politician to demand Sir Keir's departure, conscious of the challenges facing Scottish Labour in May's Holyrood elections where opinion polls indicate the party faces coming third behind the SNP and Reform.
The Scottish Labour leader emphasized the importance of the upcoming Scottish elections, stating: "It is so obvious that we desperately need change in Scotland, and in three months time the opportunity to get rid of a failing SNP government is one that is too important to be missed. We cannot allow the failures at the heart of Downing Street to mean the failures continue here in Scotland."
Downing Street Exodus and Cabinet Support
The Prime Minister's position has been weakened by the departure of key staff members, with chief of staff Morgan McSweeney resigning on Sunday and communications chief Tim Allan leaving on Monday in the wake of the Lord Mandelson controversy. Mr Allan, a "New Labour" veteran who only joined the media operation in September, stated he was standing down to allow "a new No 10 team to be built."
Despite these resignations, Cabinet ministers have publicly backed Sir Keir. Deputy Prime Minister David Lammy posted on social media: "Keir Starmer won a massive mandate 18 months ago, for five years to deliver on Labour's manifesto that we all stood on. We should let nothing distract us from our mission to change Britain and we support the Prime Minister in doing that."
Chancellor Rachel Reeves added: "With Keir as our Prime Minister we are turning the country around," while Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper emphasized: "At this crucial time for the world, we need his leadership not just at home but on the global stage."
Mandelson Appointment Scandal Deepens
The controversy centers on Sir Keir's appointment of Lord Mandelson as ambassador to the United States despite knowing that the peer's links with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein continued after the financier's conviction for child sex offences. Sir Keir believes forthcoming government documents will prove Lord Mandelson lied about the extent of his ties to Epstein during vetting procedures.
Officials have been tasked with examining the vetting process as a priority, with the Prime Minister and Mr McSweeney blaming security services for failing to disprove Lord Mandelson's claims that he barely knew the late financier. The government now prepares for the lengthy process of releasing tens of thousands of emails, messages, and documents relating to the appointment.
Parliamentary Pressure Mounts
Before Mr Sarwar's intervention, calls for Sir Keir to resign had primarily come from MPs on the left of the Labour Party. The Prime Minister is due to face Labour MPs later on Monday amid growing anger over the Mandelson appointment, with Work and Pensions Secretary Pat McFadden stating Sir Keir deserves support from backbenchers.
Mr McFadden told the Press Association: "I think he will acknowledge what's gone wrong. He'll take responsibility for the decision, but he'll say the Government still has a lot of important work to do, and he wants to lead that work, and I believe he deserves the support of the parliamentary party in doing that."
Labour's 37 Scottish MPs now face the difficult decision of whether to back Mr Sarwar's call for resignation or remain loyal to Sir Keir. A Downing Street spokesman insisted: "Keir Starmer is one of only four Labour leaders ever to have won a general election. He has a clear five-year mandate from the British people to deliver change, and that is what he will do."
The Prime Minister told staff at Downing Street on Monday morning that they must "go forward from here" and prove that politics can be a "force for good," adding about Lord Mandelson: "The thing that makes me most angry is the undermining of the belief that politics can be a force for good and can change lives." Despite this attempt to rally morale, pressure on his premiership looks unlikely to ease as the Mandelson scandal continues to unfold.
