Mandelson-Starmer latest: PM set for showdown with furious Labour MPs as he battles to save premiership
Starmer's political future hangs in the balance after chief of staff Morgan McSweeney quits over Mandelson scandal
Sir Keir Starmer is expected to face furious Labour MPs on Monday as he battles to keep them onside amid fallout from the Mandelson-Epstein scandal.
The prime minister’s chief of staff Morgan McSweeney resigned on Sunday over his role in the appointment of Lord Peter Mandelson as US ambassador. In a statement announcing his resignation, he said he took “full responsibility” for the advice to Sir Keir to appoint Lord Mandelson.
But a number of MPs have called for the prime minister to follow Lord Mandelson out the door as they insisted the Labour Party needed a “root and branch” change.
He is now expected to address the parliamentary Labour Party at a meeting on Monday.
Brian Leishman, the Labour MP for Alloa and Grangemouth said there “must be a change in political direction and that comes from the very top,” adding the prime minister should “question whether he should follow McSweeney’s lead” for the “good of the country”.
Other MPs have backed the prime minister but said Labour must become more “inclusive” if he is to survive in no 10.
Rachael Maskell told BBC Radio 4’s The Westminster Hour if he did not he would find it “difficult to continue”.
Morgan McSweeney quits as Keir Starmer’s Downing Street chief of staff over Mandelson scandal
Mandelson urged to hand back payoff after sacking over Epstein link
Mandelson’s US ambassador payoff ‘to be reviewed by government’
A surprise candidate to replace Starmer could neutralise Farage’s voter appeal
Lammy 'warned' Starmer about Mandelson appointment
Sir Keir Starmer is facing further backlash as it emerged that deputy prime minister David Lammy warned the leader about appointing Lord Peter Mandelson as US ambassador amid his links to Jeffrey Epstein.
Friends and allies of Lammy told the Telegraph he had been against the appointment of Mandelson and in favour of an extension of Dame Karen Pierce’s term in the role due to her connections to President Donald Trump’s inner circle.
Mr Starmer is said to be “devastated” over the scandal and contemplating whether to stay as PM, according to the publication.
New anti-corruption commission cannot guard against a PM's bad judgement, says Tory
Gordon Brown, who brought Peter Mandelson back into government in 2008, has been speaking out about his former business secretary, and calling for new anti-corruption measures to prevent the leaking of documents from government, which Mandelson is accused of doing.
Senior Tory Alex Burghart was asked if if a new anti-corruption commission would be a good idea, by Sky's Trevor Phillips and he responded: "It depends [on] what that commissioner would do, what their powers were, and who they were.
"I think it's very easy for politicians to, in a moment like this, say, 'if there was only one additional role then everything would be fine'.
"What's happened in this instance is that the prime minister had a clear choice, he had clear information, and he made a bad decision.
"And ultimately, there's nothing that can really guard you against that."
Starmer must make Labour more inclusive, MP says
If Sir Keir Starmer has not understood he needs to make the Labour Party inclusive, “he will find it very difficult to continue”, Rachael Maskell said.
The Labour MP told BBC Radio 4’s The Westminster Hour: “Let’s listen very carefully over the coming days to see that Keir Starmer has really understood how serious it is, the situation, what he has to do to build that inclusive party.
“And if he can achieve that, if he puts the agenda of inclusion, of building the confidence that he’s going to address those inequalities, not just in his party but across the country, then of course we will see where we get to.
“But if he cannot do that, if he hasn’t understood the seriousness of the situation, then I think he will find it very difficult to continue.”
On the departure of the prime minister’s top aide, Ms Maskell said: “Morgan’s McSweeney’s position was untenable so it is right that he has moved on.
“But still there are questions to be answered about his legacy, how decisions were made… So we do need lots of questions still answering before our confidence can be moved forward.”
PM 'didn't understand the scale of risk' when warned of Mandelson
Maurice Glasman, Labour peer, told Sky's Trevor Phillips that he advised the prime minister's chief of staff, Morgan McSweeney, against the appointment of Peter Mandelson as US ambassador.
He explained that after attending Donald Trump's inauguration as president in January 2025, he gave a briefing document to No 10 advising on "the scale of change" that the new administration would bring.
People approached Mr Glasman with photos of Mandelson with Jeffrey Epstein, when he was in Washington and he relayed all this to No10.
"What I wrote was he was the wrong man in the wrong place at the wrong time.
"I mean, it was a very inappropriate choice because [...] this issue of Epstein is massive in the States - I don't think then, a year ago, we understood the resonance of this story.
"This fulfils all the criteria of the international Jewish conspiracy, the financial elites, paedophilia - it's a massive thing in the States. Now it's here."
Vidhya Alakeson and Jill Cuthbertson: Who are Starmer’s new joint chiefs of staff?
Shortly after Morgan McSweeney’s resignation was announced, staff were informed he had turned to Mr McSweeney’s two deputies, Vidhya Alakeson and Jill Cuthbertson, to replace him as the new joint chiefs of staff for the struggling Downing Street operation.
Who are the two women tasked with righting the course of Sir Keir’s administration?
The Independent’s political editor David Maddox has more below:
Vidhya Alakeson and Jill Cuthbertson: Who are Starmer’s new joint chiefs of staff?
It’s time to end impunity for those on the edge of treason
Britain has been enfeebled by years of top-level scandals that has gone unpunished, writes world affairs editor Sam Kiley.
No wonder young people don’t feel their country is worth fighting for.
It’s time to end impunity for those on the edge of treason
Staff forced to resign after accusation of leaking Mandelson's details shares thoughts
In 1999, Gordon Brown's former spokesman, Charlie Whelan, resigned for allegedly leaking information about Mandelson not disclosing an interest-free loan of £373,000 from former paymaster general Geoffrey Robinson.
In recent events, Pater Mandelson received a payment of up to £55,000 before deductions after being fired as US ambassador in September.
This has sparked a reaction from a staff member forced to resign from government nearly three decades ago - for allegedly leaking about Mandelson.
Watch: Mcfadden: Mandelson should give payoff to charity
MP questions government on the reasons for Mandelson's pay off after he was fired
Conservative MP Alicia Kearns wrote to the government to establish the facts surrounding Lord Mandelson's pay-off after he was fired as UK ambassador to the US, because of his links to paedophile Jeffrey Epstein.
She initially received no response but was eventually told that her letter was mislaid and they were not deliberately avoiding her questions.
Ms Kearns said: "So the big question that I would love to see everyone asking of the prime minister and others is on what basis was Mandelson fired?", she told presenter Barbara Serra on Sky News.
Kearns explained that if Mandelson was fired for misconduct in public offence - a potential offence police are now assessing - "all contractual niceties that allow him to take away these sorts of big payments should have been null and void".
'PMs have to take responsibility', Starmer ally says
Cabinet minister Pat McFadden said: "the prime minister [has] acted in good faith" in terms of his appointment of Peter Mandelson as US ambassador, he told Sky New's Trevor Phillips this morning.
Mr McFadden said: "In the end, this is about the prime minister, and I think that he's horrified by what's happened.
"He's issued an apology to the victims, and he will definitely wish he never made this appointment.
"But the real person who could have saved him from this was Peter Mandelson himself."
Mr McFadden has now suggested Lord Mandelson give the money back and donate it to violence against women and girls charity.
McFadden also claims he does not recall discussing Mandelson with the prime minister ahead of the appointment, despite having served under the former business secretary in Gordon Brown's government.
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