Starmer latest: Labour has ‘Herculean task’ to move on from anger over Mandelson scandal, warns Miliband
The energy secretary and former Labour leader has backed Sir Keir Starmer saying he has shown determination to fulfil his mandate
Sir Keir Starmer is chairing Tuesday’s cabinet meeting after surviving his toughest day of leadership so far amid furore over the Mandelson scandal.
The prime minister is also expected to take part in a community visit this afternoon in an attempt to show he is focused on easing the cost-of-living burden and move on from the leadership crisis that has dominated the last two days.
Ministers rallied around him after a dramatic 48 hours, in which Sir Keir lost his chief of staff Morgan McSweeney and chief communications director Tim Allan. He also faced calls to resign from Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar.
Speaking on Monday, Ed Miliband warned Labour faces a “Herculean task” of moving on from anger over Lord Peter Mandelson’s appointment as US ambassador.
But he backed prime minister Sir Keir to stay in post, saying he had shown a determination to fulfil his mandate.
Wes Streeting has been accused of orchestrating a coup against Sir Keir after claims emerged he talked to Mr Sarwar two days earlier.
Mr Streeting chose to reveal text messages exchanged with Lord Mandelson in an attempt at damage control late on Monday.
Minister ‘barred from following Wes Streeting and releasing their own Mandelson messages’
The Independent’s Whitehall editor Kate Devlin reports:
Ministers have reportedly been banned from following Wes Streeting and pre-emptively releasing their own texts with Peter Mandelson.
The Cabinet Office Propriety and Ethics team has contacted ministers warning them not to publish anything within the scope of what the government is being forced to release, after a Commons vote last week, according to the Sun.
Mr Streeting effectively fired the starting gun on a stealth leadership bid last night with the release of his messages. The move means they will not hang over him should a vacancy become available.
Watch: Lucy Powell says Keir Starmer has her full support following Epstein-Mandelson fallout
Will Starmer resign as prime minister and who could replace him?
As ministers head into a Cabinet meeting this morning, Sir Keir Starmer’s leadership is hanging on by a thread.
But will he resign - and if so, who could replace him?
Athena Stavrou and Millie Cooke take a look below:
Will Starmer resign as prime minister and who could replace him?
In pictures: Ministers arrive for Cabinet meeting
‘The cabinet are like mice’ - frustration inside Labour as Starmer clings on
The Independent’s Whitehall editor Kate Devlin reports:
While the prime minister vows not to “walk away” there is frustration among some in Labour at how events played out yesterday. A significant number still believe he will have to leave office.
However, yesterday’s botched attempt to oust him mean it may not be until after the party suffers electoral defeat, either at this month’s Westminster by-election or May’s elections.
Much of the anger is being directed at cabinet ministers. “The cabinet are like mice,” one Labour grandee told the Independent.
Analysis: Starmer survives another day - but he's not in the clear yet
The Independent’s political correspondent Millie Cooke reports:
Sir Keir Starmer has survived another day. At around 3pm yesterday, as Anas Sarwar was gearing up to call for him to go, it seemed like it could be the end for the beleaguered prime minister.
But, just two hours later, almost the entire Cabinet had come out to back him. The public show of support, coming just hours before the PM had to address Labour MPs, is what bought Starmer more time.
Without it, it is very likely the PM would have struggled to persuade the furious Parliamentary Labour Party that he should be given more time.
But while he has survived into today, he is not in the clear yet.
He has already had two major resignations from his top team of advisers. If he has any other significant resignations over the coming days, it could spell the end for him.
And at the end of February, the outcome of the Gorton and Denton by-election will be closely watched by his party. If the outcome is bad for Labour - which it most likely will be - Sir Keir will once again be fighting for his political life.
Diane Abbott slams applause for Keir Starmer as PM vows to stay on
MP Diane Abbott has slammed a round of applause for Keir Starmer following his vow to stay on as prime minister as “staged.”
Starmer was met with a prolonged round of applause after addressing the parliamentary Labour Party on Monday evening, amid mounting pressure to resign amid a scandal involving Lord Peter Mandelson and the latest release of the Epstein files.
"I think the round of applause in the committee room just now was staged," Abbot, who was suspended by the Labour Party last year, told Channel 4 News.
“I can’t see him lasting beyond May’s election,” she added.
Diane Abbott slams applause for Keir Starmer as PM vows to stay on
PM 'not on his knees', Labour MP insists
Sir Keir Starmer is “not on his knees” but “'strong, determined and committed” following a weekend of chaos, a Labour MP has said.
Karl Turner told Sky News the prime minister was “angry at himself” for taking advice to appoint Lord Mandelson as US ambassador.
But he added: "I think he's satisfied the Parliamentary Labour Party that this is the prime minister, not on his knees, as some of the media suggest, but a prime minister, strong and determined and committed to delivering for the British public."
Watch: Labour has 'Herculean task' to move on from Mandelson scandal, warns Miliband
Starmer's performance 'nowhere near good enough,' Labour MP says
Labour MP Brian Leishman has said the prime minister’s performance has been “nowhere near good enough” and that it was not a “miscalculation” of Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar to call on Sir Keir Starmer to resign.
The Alloa and Grangemouth MP also said that nothing has changed in his mind since Mr Sarwar’s announcement on Monday and he also still thinks the Prime Minister should step down.
Speaking on BBC Radio Scotland’s Breakfast programme he said: “I think it’s fair to say that Anas yesterday was honest, up front and very, very clear on his position.
“So I don’t think that can ever be represented as a miscalculation. I think what Anas said yesterday, he admitted it was a difficult decision for him but it was the right decision for Scotland, and that certainly chimes with the conversations that I’m having on the doorsteps in the Holyrood campaign.”
He added: “Anas yesterday was correct when he said in his assessment that Keir Starmer’s performance in his first 18 months has not been good enough.”
Asked whether he still thinks Sir Keir should resign he said: “Yes. Keir Starmer’s performance over his first 18 months in Government has been nowhere near good enough.”
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