Labour MPs brand Starmer ‘dead man walking’ | UK | News
Sir Keir Starmer is facing the most damaging day of his premiership after his own MPs accused him of fostering a “toxic culture” in Downing Street – with a Labor backbencher declaring him a “dead man walking”.
The crisis deepened dramatically on Tuesday, with Sir Oliver Robbins, who was sacked as Foreign Office chief last week, saying No 10 had put him under “constant pressure” to approve Lord Mandelson’s security clearance and accusing Downing Street of taking a “condescending approach” to the vetting process. He explained that authorities even questioned whether the checks were needed.
Sir Oliver also hit back at his former boss, revealing that Sir Keir had secretly maneuvered to secure a diplomatic role for a second disgraced colleague; It was a statement that deepened the sense of crisis around the Prime Minister.
Senior cabinet figures Yvette Cooper and Ed Miliband compounded the damage by publicly backing away from the Prime Minister; It was a clear show of opposition that underlined the growing rift between No 10 and its own most senior ministers.
What are Labor MPs saying about Kier Starmer?
Imran Hussain, the Labor MP for Bradford East, told the Commons that the scandal went to the heart of Downing Street’s workings.
“At the heart of this is the toxic and exclusionary culture at Number 10. At some point we just can’t break free of that,” he said. “This divisiveness has brought us to this point. This is not a minor infraction of governance, it is a matter of national security.”
Ian Byrne, Labor MP for Liverpool West Derby, said Mandelson’s appointment “reflects a wider direction under the Prime Minister” and warned that a “toxic culture” was being allowed to “take over Number 10 and the running of our country”.
An anonymous MP told The Telegraph that Sir Keir’s position was now untenable.
“How much longer can this zombie rule go on?” they said. “It’s over for him. He can’t come back from this. Someone needs to hug him and say ‘it’s over’.”
What did Robbins say about Starmer?
Sir Oliver told MPs that Mandelson’s appointment as US ambassador was already considered a done deal when he arrived at the Foreign Office in January last year. He accused Downing Street of bullying the Foreign Office into approving the clearance, saying No 10 had applied “constant pressure” throughout the process.
Dame Emily Thornberry, chair of the committee, previously raised the claim that Sir Oliver’s predecessor was told to “just confirm” the appointment; This instruction was reportedly passed by Morgan McSweeney, Sir Keir’s then private secretary, to Sir Philip Barton, the Foreign Office’s most senior civil servant when Mandelson was appointed in December 2024.
Sir Oliver said he did not believe McSweeney would use such language and had “no recollection” of his predecessor mentioning the call. McSweeney denied the allegation on Tuesday afternoon, telling Politico that he did not call Sir Philip directly and did not swear at him.
