Defiant Starmer to lead Labour fightback despite calls for him to quit over Mandelson scandal
Defiant Keir Starmer will try to keep himself front and center in the fight against his beleaguered government next week as calls grow for him to resign over the Mandelson scandal.
Downing Street confirms PM will ‘come out and explain why’ [his Labour] The government will “help working people” across the country next week as anger mounts over the decision to appoint Peter Mandelson as US ambassador.
But the surprisingly bold move comes as a senior union leader broke ranks, calling on Starmer to resign as Prime Minister and demanding that a growing number of Labor MPs and colleagues face the consequences of his mistakes.
The decision came despite Labor deputy leader Lucy Powell being unable to say so Independent In an exclusive interview, he asked whether Starmer would campaign in the crucial Gorton and Denton by-election that will decide his fate.
Even marchers would be wrong to say it would be wrong for the beleaguered prime minister, who met with Arsenal fans in the stands at Saturday’s game against Sunderland, to demand dramatic changes to his operation with the sacking of controversial chief of staff Morgan McSweeney.
The government was shaken by the revelation of Mandelson’s close relationship with convicted pedophile financier Jeffrey Epstein.
Sir Keir was left on the hook last week after admitting he knew Mandelson’s relationship with Epstein continued even after the financier was convicted, appointing him as US ambassador anyway despite serious reservations from the Trump White House.
A humiliating U-turn followed when Labor rebels led by former deputy Chancellor Angela Rayner forced him to hand over all review documents relating to Mandelson’s appointment.
The US government’s last statement about Epstein in January included email exchanges with Mandelson while he was in Gordon Brown’s cabinet.
These include a document showing Lord Mandelson gave Epstein advance notice of the EU’s €500 billion bailout package to save the euro in 2010. Mandelson did not respond to requests for comment; His position appears to be that he did not engage in any criminal conduct and was not acting for financial gain.
Police are currently investigating Mandelson and raided his home on Friday.
When asked by BBC reporter Laura Kuenssberg whether Sir Keir would resign, Steve Wright, general secretary of the Fire Brigades Union (FBU), responded: “Everyone is thinking about it.”
He said senior figures such as current deputy prime minister David Lammy, who was foreign minister at the time of his appointment, and his predecessor in the DPM, Angela Rayner, had said at the time that they had advised against Mandelson’s appointment.
Mr Wright said: “Unfortunately today we see MPs being brought out again to clean up the mess now behind the prime minister.
“I want to see the change that is promised and that this country needs.”
Meanwhile, Labor baroness Ayesha Hazarika revealed that she was told to “shut up” when she raised questions about the propriety of appointing Mandelson and that other Labor colleagues had complained about her.
He warned there was a “boys’ club” protecting his disgraced former Labor peer, despite having twice previously been forced to resign over inappropriate behavior and the prime minister admitting last week that he knew about Mandelson’s ongoing relationship with Epstein.
He praised Conservative Party leader Kemi Badenoch and senior Labor MPs Ms Rayner and Dame Meg Hillier for pushing the Prime Minister to hand over all fact sheets on Mandelson ahead of his appointment to the UK’s most sensitive diplomatic role.
He said: “Everyone knew Mandelson was involved in these circles. The calculation was that these were somewhat vulgar circles in which the President of the United States moved… we need a man who sits in these jacuzzis.”
Meanwhile, in a sign of the growing panic in Number 10, Downing Street sent in welfare secretary Pat McFadden, Mandelson’s former close ally and friend accustomed to dealing with crisis situations.
He suggested that in exchange for his removal as ambassador, he donate a five-figure taxpayer-funded donation, an amount that could run into the tens of thousands, “perhaps to a charity that deals with violence against women and girls.”
Mr McFadden insisted that even when he was Mandelson’s aide in 2009, he had “no idea” about the other side of his life and that he really didn’t know anything about Epstein when he was “live downloading” government-market sensitive documents for the disgraced American financier.
Pressed on the party’s promise to rid itself of the Conservative Party’s scum, he suggested that this meant they should not replace the prime minister.
He said: “Perhaps one way we can be different is by not quitting the pilot after 18 months, sticking with a leader and being consistent in leadership.”
Mr McFadden stressed Sir Keir had “acted in good faith throughout this process” and was “appalled” by recent revelations about Lord Mandelson’s ties to the late pedophile Epstein.
He tried to hide his anger at Mr Lammy and Ms Rayner’s briefing that they had recommended against Mandelson’s appointment.
“You know, they are over the age of 21, they have to answer for what they say,” he said.
And he defended his close ally, Mr. McSweeney, by saying he should not have been removed as chief of staff.
Backbench Starmer loyalist John Slinger emerged to defend him and told the government he should not be sacked, saying “there is success everywhere you look”.
Former home secretary Lord Blunkett suggested the Prime Minister was weighing up his own future, saying: “Only Keir Starmer and his wife Victoria can decide their future. No one else will be able to decide that this weekend or in the coming days.”
Joining Prime Minister Gordon Brown in saying Sir Keir should not resign yet, Lord Blunkett described the government as “terrible” and called for Mr McSweeney to be sacked.
He warned: “It needs a new chief of staff, the roads to him need to be opened so that people can reach him and hear what people are thinking and feeling.”
