Scottish Labour Leader Anas Sarwar Calls for Keir Starmer to Resign
In a significant blow to Prime Minister Keir Starmer's fragile authority, Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar is set to demand Sir Keir's resignation. Mr Sarwar will use a press conference to call for the Prime Minister to quit as Labour leader, as Sir Keir battles to remain in Number Ten Downing Street. This move makes Mr Sarwar the most senior Labour politician to publicly call for Sir Keir to step down, potentially influenced by the challenges facing Scottish Labour ahead of May's Holyrood elections.
Senior Aides Resign Amid Scandal Fallout
The Prime Minister's chief of staff, Morgan McSweeney, and communications chief, Tim Allan, have both resigned in the wake of the Lord Peter Mandelson scandal. Mr Allan, a New Labour veteran who only joined the media operation in September, stated he was stepping down to allow a new Number Ten team to be built. Downing Street has insisted that Sir Keir will not resign and is concentrating on the job at hand, with a spokesman categorically denying reports of the Prime Minister's potential departure.
Internal Party Pressure and Cabinet Support
Sir Keir is due to face Labour MPs later on Monday amid growing anger over his appointment of Lord Mandelson as ambassador to the United States. This decision was made despite Sir Keir's knowledge that the peer's links with Jeffrey Epstein continued after the financier's conviction for child sex offences. Work and Pensions Secretary Pat McFadden has urged backbenchers to support Sir Keir, acknowledging mistakes but emphasizing the government's important work. However, several Labour MPs on the left of the party, including Brian Leishman, Ian Byrne, and Kim Johnson, have suggested Sir Keir should consider resigning.
Downing Street's Response and Future Challenges
Before news of Mr Sarwar's intervention, Sir Keir was described as upbeat and confident during an address to Number Ten staff. He told employees they must move forward and prove that politics can be a force for good, expressing anger over the undermining of this belief due to the Mandelson affair. The Prime Minister is confident he has the unanimous support of the Cabinet, according to his spokesman. However, pressure on his premiership is unlikely to ease as the government prepares to release tens of thousands of emails, messages, and documents related to Lord Mandelson's appointment.
Scrutiny of Vetting Process and Epstein Links
Sir Keir believes these files will prove that Lord Mandelson lied about the extent of his ties to Jeffrey Epstein during the vetting process. Both Sir Keir and Mr McSweeney have blamed the security services' vetting for failing to disprove Lord Mandelson's claims that he barely knew the late financier, claims later debunked by disclosures in the Epstein files. Officials have been tasked with examining this vetting process as a priority, highlighting ongoing scrutiny and potential further revelations.
