First public call from a Labour MP for Starmer to go
London: British Prime Minister Keir Starmer has been tipped off by Labor colleagues asking him to resign for the good of the government, following the scandal over the appointment of a disgraced former minister as US ambassador.
In the first public uprising within the government, a Labor MP has called for a “timetable” for Starmer’s replacement, amid fury over the decision to appoint Peter Mandelson as ambassador.
“I’m completely fed up with this psychodrama in Westminster, the back teeth of this government’s own goals coming from the heart of it,” said backbencher Jonathan Brash.
“They just need to get it under control. I’m totally sick of it.”
“I’ve come to a point now where, you know, for the Prime Minister, it’s not a matter of ‘if’, it’s a matter of ‘when’.
“And I think we need to find a solution to this because people out there are worried about the cost of living, they’re worried about their NHS, they’re worried about crime on their streets.
“And we are completely consumed by this scandal, and that is completely unacceptable.”
Statements to GB News As Starmer slips in the polls, give the public voice to Labour’s concerns, which have been voiced in anonymous comments to the media for months.
Labour’s power brokers cannot agree on who should replace Starmer, and their immediate challenge is to shore up support for the party in elections for local councils and the Scottish and Welsh parliaments on May 7 and push back against a decision on the leadership.
But the public call from the backbenchers highlights the panic within Labor ranks about scrapping an election that could topple the Labor government in Wales and sack hundreds of Labor councillors.
While Starmer and his ministers will not take part in the vote on May 7, his opponents, such as Conservative Party leader Kemi Badenoch and UK Reform leader Nigel Farage, are framing it as a referendum on the prime minister.
Starmer admitted he made a mistake in appointing Mandelson in December 2024 and sacked the Labor insider in September 2025 after his close friendship with Jeffrey Epstein was further revealed.
When news broke last week that Mandelson had failed a vetting before taking office, Starmer blamed public officials for not telling him that fact.
Starmer, who has removed a number of officials from his office during almost two years of turbulent government, last week sacked the permanent head of the Foreign Office, Olly Robbins, over a failure to review.
Robbins defended himself in parliament on Tuesday, saying he was under “pressure” from the prime minister’s office to make the appointment.
Still, Robbins said he was right to approve Mandelson’s security clearance despite the review’s recommendation. He did not say he had to clear Mandelson for the post, nor did he deny that the prime minister and other ministers had reserved review recommendations.
Robbins did not explain the reasons why Mandelson failed the security clearance. Starmer said he did not know the reason. The motives are not believed to be related to a friendship with Epstein. Members of the House of Commons want the full report to be published.
Starmer and his Labor government do not face an election until 2029 given their five-year term in office in the UK, but colleagues fear for their future when polls show they will lose their seats.
arrogant Won seat of Hartlepool in 2024 By taking it away from the conservatives.
Asked by GB News whether Starmer should resign, Brash said “yes” and added that the government needed to focus.
“I don’t think anyone right now reasonably expects the prime minister to lead the party at the next election,” he said.
“And I think we need to refocus this government on the priorities of the British people.”
When the presenter asked Brash why Starmer should leave, Brash suggested that the problem was political governance.
“Because ultimately we were completely caught up in this turmoil at a time when the British public was not focused,” he said.
“They’re focused on living expenses. They’re now focused on the NHS. I think it’s a sensible thing to set a timetable to get this done… in an orderly way because we’ve got a huge, huge job ahead of us.”
Get notes directly from our foreign correspondents on events making headlines around the world. Sign up for our weekly What’s on in the World Newsletter.
David Crowe is the European correspondent for The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age.Connect with: X or email.
