Prime Minister Keir Starmer has told Labour MPs that he is “not prepared to walk away” from his mandate, despite facing calls for his resignation following the Peter Mandelson ambassador scandal and the resignations of key aides. Speaking at a meeting of the Parliamentary Labour Party (PLP), Starmer declared he had “won every fight” he had ever been in and would not plunge the country into chaos.
Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar called on Starmer to stand down, adding to the pressure. However, the Prime Minister received the full backing of his cabinet and delivered an impassioned appeal to more than 400 Labour MPs and peers, appearing to steady the government for now. Starmer pledged to overhaul his Downing Street operation and warned rivals that he would fight any challenge.
The crisis was triggered by Starmer’s appointment of Peter Mandelson as ambassador to the US, leading to the resignation of chief of staff Morgan McSweeney and communications director Tim Allan. Angela Rayner publicly supported Starmer, halting a potential coup, while Wes Streeting published private WhatsApp messages with Mandelson to distance himself. Senior civil servant Chris Wormald is also negotiating his exit as part of a wider shake-up.
Lib Dem leader Ed Davey stopped short of calling for Starmer’s resignation but demanded a general election if Labour did not “sort themselves out”. Labour insiders fear that McSweeney’s departure leaves the Prime Minister exposed ahead of the Gorton and Denton by-election later this month, which could determine his political future.
