Union Leader Calls for Starmer's Resignation Amid Mandelson Crisis
Labour-affiliated trade union leaders have issued a stark warning to Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer, suggesting he could face being toppled from power following the Lord Mandelson scandal. Steve Wright, the chief of the Fire Brigades Union, has publicly demanded Sir Keir's resignation, arguing that the British public has lost trust in the Labour government.
Public Declaration on National Television
Appearing on the BBC's Sunday With Laura Kuenssberg programme, Mr Wright declared it was now time for Sir Keir to step down. 'We need to see change,' he stated emphatically. 'Eighteen months ago the general public wanted to see that change and we're not seeing it. We're just seeing a continuation of what happened before and I think there needs to be a leadership change.'
The union leader piled pressure on Labour MPs to trigger a leadership challenge against Sir Keir, with former deputy prime minister Angela Rayner emerging as the frontrunner to replace him. Both Ms Rayner and David Lammy, who succeeded her as Deputy Prime Minister, reportedly warned Sir Keir against appointing Lord Mandelson as US ambassador in February last year.
Questioning Due Diligence and Trust
Mr Wright specifically questioned how 'forensic Keir' failed to uncover the full extent of Lord Mandelson's friendship with convicted paedophile Jeffrey Epstein before making the diplomatic appointment. The Prime Minister this week expressed regret, saying he was 'sorry for having believed Mandelson's lies' about the relationship.
'We're expected to believe that nobody knew anything about this,' Mr Wright challenged. 'Peter Mandelson was known as the 'Prince of Darkness' - 'forensic Keir' did not do that due diligence. I think it is a trust and confidence issue, actually, and I think people have lost trust in the Labour Party.'
Mounting Pressure from Union Backers
Prior to the Mandelson scandal erupting, Mr Wright had already issued a warning that Sir Keir was on his 'last chance' as Prime Minister. Last month, he suggested all eleven of Labour's affiliated unions might unite to tell Sir Keir his time was up if the party suffers heavy losses in the upcoming local elections in May.
In an interview with The House magazine, Mr Wright criticised 'a lot of own goals' by Sir Keir's administration and described Nigel Farage's Reform UK as 'the real threat' to Labour's political standing. When asked whether the affiliated unions could collectively demand Sir Keir's departure after potentially disastrous May elections, Mr Wright responded: 'I think so.'
Cabinet Minister Defends Prime Minister
Senior Cabinet minister Pat McFadden, the Work and Pensions Secretary, this morning rejected calls for a no-confidence vote in Sir Keir. He argued that Labour should 'not drop the pilot after 19 months' and questioned why there would be a confidence vote when Sir Keir won a general election just eighteen months ago.
Mr Wright countered this defence by highlighting what he perceives as Sir Keir's failure to listen to elected colleagues. 'We've seen that he didn't listen to the former deputy prime minister. He hasn't listened to his current Deputy Prime Minister,' he stated. 'He's listening to a factional group which are making bad decisions, it seems. And I want to see the change that was promised and that this country needs.'
Lord Mandelson has repeatedly expressed regret over his friendship with Epstein, but the political fallout continues to engulf the Labour administration, with union support appearing increasingly fragile as pressure mounts on the Prime Minister's leadership.
