Keir Starmer is on thin ice as Labour MPs grow increasingly uneasy over his leadership, following a bruising week in parliament dominated by the controversy surrounding Peter Mandelson's appointment as US ambassador. The prime minister survived a key vote on whether he misled parliament over the vetting process, but the rebellion is far from quelled.
The unease stems from revelations that Mandelson, a friend of convicted paedophile Jeffrey Epstein, failed security vetting for the ambassadorial role. Starmer insists he had no knowledge of the failed process, but many MPs doubt his account. Morgan McSweeney, the prime minister's former chief of staff, admitted fault for recommending Mandelson, describing learning the full extent of the Epstein connection as 'like having a knife through my soul'.
The prime minister now faces a perilous few weeks, with local and parliamentary elections due next Thursday expected to deliver heavy losses. Starmer is among the most unpopular prime ministers since records began, and the public dissatisfaction is likely to crystallise at the ballot box. 'He's in last chance saloon,' one minister said after Tuesday's vote.
Labour MPs are deeply depressed about the party's prospects, with many believing they cannot go into the next election with Starmer at the helm. However, they remain divided on how to remove him and who should replace him. 'They have mostly decided that they can’t go into the next election with him as their leader and would like somebody else to do the job by then,' said Kiran Stacey, the Guardian's policy editor.
Starmer is unlikely to go quietly, despite polling showing that around half the country thinks he should resign. The coming weeks will be critical in determining whether he can cling to power or whether Labour MPs will move to oust him.
