Polanski insists Starmer should resign over Mandelson scandal
Green Party leader Zack Polanski has called on Sir Keir Starmer to resign, arguing that the Peter Mandelson scandal has seriously damaged public confidence in politics.
Mr Polanski said the Prime Minister’s decision to appoint Lord Mandelson as US ambassador showed “catastrophic misjudgment” and required his departure.
Speaking to the Press Association, Mr Polanski made his thoughts clear on the situation: “I think the Peter Mandelson scandal is actually bad for democracy in general. I think it undermines trust in politicians.”
He added that the situation “reflected really badly on everyone” and reiterated: “I still think Keir Starmer should go.”
Mr Polanski accused Sir Keir of being aware that Peter Mandelson was “still friends with a notorious pedophile, still staying at his house” but went ahead with the appointment, believing Mandelson could “whisper in Donald Trump’s ear”.
He described it as not just a mistake but a “catastrophic misjudgment” and suggested Sir Keir had made poor decisions.
Campaigning in Gorton and Denton ahead of the February 26 midterm elections, Polanski emphasized public discontent.
“You only have to walk a few minutes on these streets to hear people’s anger at the Labor Government,” he said, and concluded: “It’s time for Keir Starmer to resign.”
He also criticized the wider political system, arguing that politicians accept funds from private healthcare, oil and gas, arms dealing and gambling companies; He claimed that this practice did not exist in the Green Party.
Although Labor won Gorton and Denton with more than 50 per cent of the vote in 2024, both the Greens and the UK Reform Party are actively competing for the seat.
Labor deputy leader Lucy Powell opposed this, arguing that only her own party could effectively challenge Reform and that a vote for the Greens risked leading Nigel Farage’s candidate into the “back door”.
