Ditch Starmer for a caretaker leader, Labour MPs say… as insiders claim PM’s closest aide McSweeney is on brink of quitting

Labor MPs have argued that Keir Starmer should resign in favor of an interim prime minister who will lead the country until a leadership contest is held in the summer.

Desperate Government supporters argue that unless Prime Minister Peter Mandelson resigns over the crisis, the party is headed for disaster in the Gorton and Denton by-elections later this month, followed by extinction in local elections in May.

They hope the cabinet will persuade Sir Keir to resign this week and allow an “undisputed” candidate such as Defense Secretary John Healey or Northern Ireland Secretary Hilary Benn to replace him on an interim basis.

It comes as an insider said Sir Keir’s private secretary Morgan McSweeney, who is accused by Labor MPs of ‘forcing’ the Prime Minister to appoint Jeffrey Epstein’s friend Mandelson as US ambassador in 2024, was on the verge of resigning.

Cabinet Secretary Sir Chris Wormald could also resign.

A source said: ‘Morgan leaving will offer MPs a sacrifice to atone for this disaster. So could Keir survive without him? They really should go out as a package.’

Under the extraordinary interim leader plan, the interim leader would lead Labor beyond the May local elections and then oversee a full-fledged party leadership contest in the summer before handing over to the new leader at the party’s annual conference in the autumn.

MPs backing the move say it will ‘bring stability’ to the Government and avoid a ‘bloodbath’ in the leadership race ahead of the May election. This could also attract the attention of three candidates vying for leadership; Each has reasons to postpone the fight for the top position.

Keir Starmer has come under heavy fire and admitted he knew Peter Mandelson was still in contact with Jeffery Epstein after he was convicted of child sex crimes.

For Angela Rayner, this will give HMRC time to complete its lengthy investigation into her tax affairs and, supporters say, ‘cast a shadow’ on her leadership ambitions.

For Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham, it could give him a second chance to take his Commons seat, without which he would be unable to succeed Sir Keir.

Mr Burnham, who is blocked by Labour’s ruling National Executive Committee (NEC) in Gorton and Denton, is still hoping to win a constituency in the North West, using the logic that the mood in the party has deteriorated very quickly since he was blocked last month and will allow the NEC to stand as Labour’s potential ‘saviour’.

Meanwhile, Health Minister Wes Streeting will be given the time he needs to recover from his perceived closeness to Mandelson, long regarded as his political mentor.

Last night, a senior Labor MP aware of the plot admitted it would require Sir Keir to fall on his sword. But the MP told The Mail on Sunday: ‘Extraordinary times require extraordinary solutions.

‘We can’t let Starmer limp on until after the May election; We need a new one now to stop what could be catastrophic losses for Labour. But equally we cannot have a full-fledged leadership election between now and May.’

He said a respected Cabinet minister without realistic long-term leadership ambitions of their own – ‘like Hilary Benn or John Healey’ – would be the ideal interim leader.

The MP added: ‘Given the briefing war that has already broken out between Rayner and Streeting, there would not only be blood on the walls in a full-fledged contest; There would also be blood on the floor and ceiling.

‘And that will only cause us to lose more seats in May. So yes, the idea is currently being actively discussed by Labor MPs.’

It came like this:

• Labor MPs have warned Sir Keir may not survive the disastrous result in by-elections in Gorton and Denton on February 26.
• Party sources are skeptical of claims that Ms Rayner warned Sir Keir against appointing Mandelson as US ambassador.
• It has been claimed that Ed Miliband will run for leadership with the promise of making an election agreement with the Greens.

Starmer’s private secretary Morgan McSweeney is approaching resignation after allegations he pressured Mandelson to be appointed ambassador to the US

Less controversial candidates such as Defense Secretary John Healey are being put forward by rebel Labor MPs

A Labor MP claimed Energy Secretary Mr Miliband was waiting ‘like a patient spider in a web’ for other candidates to fail, despite objections that he did not want to seek the top job for a second term.

He claimed Mr Miliband could offer what other candidates could not: a ‘deal with the Greens’ to unite the Left vote and prevent Nigel Farage and Reform from gaining power.

There were also claims that the campaigns of the two main candidates, Ms Rayner and Mr Streeting, were suspected of already plunging the party into ‘civil war’.

Mr Streeting’s supporters accused Rayner’s allies of “fantasy stuff” exaggerations about how close the Health Secretary was to former Labor deputy leader Mandelson.

An ally of Streeting accused Ms Rayner of ‘drooling’ before making her crucial intervention in the House of Commons last week; This forced Sir Keir to backtrack on the release of documents detailing how Mandelson was appointed as US ambassador.

On the way back, Ms Rayner’s camp celebrated what they saw as the collapse of their hopes due to Mr Streeting’s past ties to the disgraced New Labor architect. Last night, even a Left-wing MP who disagreed with neither joked that Mr Streeting was ‘just a pair of smoking boots’.

But he also claimed Ms Rayner was ‘unfit to be prime minister’, adding: ‘She doesn’t have what it takes.’

Separately, former Deputy Prime Minister Ms Rayner came under fire yesterday following reports she had warned Sir Keir not to appoint Mandelson.

A Labor source said: ‘The idea that she was like Cassandra and warned everyone about Mandelson rings a bit hollow.

‘I know she has the right hair colour, but she was the one who had dinner with him.’

A source close to Ms Rayner said: ‘Not true. [That] It didn’t happen’.