‘I won’t walk away’: embattled Starmer to Westminster
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer is refusing to heed calls to resign, even from the leader of his Scottish party, and has vowed to keep fighting after the appointment of Peter Mandelson as US ambassador threw his government into crisis.
Starmer, under pressure over the appointment of a man whose close ties to late US sex offender Jeffrey Epstein have become clear, has sought to change the narrative.
Starmer told Labor MPs he had “won every fight I’ve ever been in” and vowed he “won’t go away” amid calls for him to resign.
The Prime Minister addressed a packed meeting of the Parliamentary Labor Party in Westminster on Monday after Scottish Labor leader Anas Sarwar called for him to resign.
The new scandal regarding Mandelson, who was dismissed as US ambassador in September, came after the files launched A report released by the US Department of Justice last month included emails suggesting Mandelson leaked discussions about possible asset sales and tax changes in the UK during the financial crisis to Epstein.
The resignation of communications chief Tim Allan follows the departure of Starmer’s closest aide, Morgan McSweeney, who said she had taken responsibility for advising on Mandelson’s appointment to the UK’s top diplomatic post in the US.
But Starmer, backed by his cabinet, struck a defiant note, telling MPs he would stay.
“After fighting so hard for the chance to change our country, I am not ready to walk away from my duty and responsibility to my country or to plunge us into chaos as others have done,” he said.
He argued that he had changed the Crown Prosecution Service to “better serve victims of violence against women and girls” and changed Labor so that it could win elections.
“I won every fight I was in.”
Downing Street sources described the prime minister as “absolutely determined” when he appeared before MPs hours after Sarwar said he should resign.
But they added that he acknowledged his operation was not “clear or comprehensive enough” and vowed to give more weight to Labor’s views in parliament at a meeting that MPs present described as broadly positive towards Starmer.
However, speaking in Scotland, where polls show that support for the Labor Party has fallen since the 2024 elections, Sarwar said he had to defend Scotland and call for a change of leader in London, the capital of England.
“The distraction needs to end and the leadership in Downing Street needs to change,” he told a press conference.
In response, a Downing Street spokesman said Starmer had “a clear five-year mandate from the British people to deliver change and that’s what he will do.”
With his statement, Sarwar became the most senior Labor figure to call for Starmer’s resignation and did little to quell the heated atmosphere in parliament in Westminster, London.
Government borrowing costs increased; This reflects investor concerns that a more progressive Labor leader willing to borrow and spend more could take over.
The rise in yields and the value of the pound against the euro later eased as potential successors backed Starmer.
As Starmer loses his fourth communications director, his record in government is under scrutiny, including the gaffes and policy U-turns that have tarnished his nearly two years in power.
“This is painful,” said a Labor MP on condition of anonymity.
“It’s like watching a fatal car crash in slow motion.”
But Starmer has received some support from his deputy David Lammy, finance minister Rachel Reeves and foreign secretary Yvette Cooper, among others.
His former deputy, Angela Rayner, who is seen as the leading leadership candidate, offered him “full support”.
In his statement to
via Reuters
Australia’s Associated Press is the beating heart of Australian news. AAP is Australia’s only independent national news channel and has been providing accurate, reliable and fast-paced news content to the media industry, government and corporate sector for 85 years. We inform Australia.
