UK LEADER STARMER BATTLES TO KEEP JOB AS MANDELSON-EPSTEIN REVELATIONS TRIGGER CRISIS. (PHOTO).

 UK leader Starmer battles to keep job as Mandelson-Epstein revelations trigger crisis

  

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer was fighting for political survival on Monday as his authority within the Labour Party sharply eroded less than two years into his term. Under mounting pressure from party lawmakers, Starmer was scrambling to head off a potential revolt that could cost him the leadership after a damaging scandal involving his appointment of Peter Mandelson as Britain’s ambassador to Washington. The crisis deepened over the weekend when Starmer lost his chief of staff, and it intensified further on Monday with the resignation of his director of communications, Tim Allan, who said he was stepping aside to allow a new team to be formed. Starmer was scheduled to address Labour lawmakers behind closed doors in a bid to stabilize his leadership and regain trust.

At the center of the turmoil is Starmer’s 2024 decision to appoint Mandelson to one of Britain’s most senior diplomatic posts despite knowing of his past ties to the late financier and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. Mandelson was dismissed last September after emails emerged showing he continued a relationship with Epstein following Epstein’s 2008 conviction for sex crimes involving a minor. A newly released cache of Epstein-related documents has revived scrutiny of that relationship, intensifying criticism that Starmer exercised poor judgment in selecting a deeply controversial figure whose long career has been shadowed by ethical and financial scandals. Starmer acknowledged last week that he had been misled, apologizing for “having believed Mandelson’s lies,” and pledged to release records related to the appointment process to demonstrate how officials were deceived.

The fallout has extended well beyond Mandelson’s firing. Police are now examining whether Mandelson committed misconduct in public office after documents suggested he may have shared sensitive government information with Epstein more than a decade ago. While Mandelson has not been arrested or charged and faces no allegations of sexual misconduct, the investigation has further fueled political pressure on Starmer. On Monday morning, Starmer told staff that the controversy had badly damaged public faith in politics and said his government must show that politics can still be “a force for good.”

Starmer’s chief of staff, Morgan McSweeney, resigned on Sunday, taking responsibility for advising the prime minister to make the appointment. McSweeney had been Starmer’s closest aide since 2020 and was widely credited as a key strategist behind Labour’s landslide election victory in July 2024. His departure has divided the party: some lawmakers believe removing a figure seen as divisive could give Starmer breathing room to reset his leadership, while others argue the loss of his most powerful ally has left the prime minister weakened and isolated at a critical moment.

The crisis has unfolded against a backdrop of broader dissatisfaction with Starmer’s time in office. Opposition leader Kemi Badenoch said Starmer’s “bad decision after bad decision” had left his position “untenable.” Since taking power, Starmer has struggled to deliver economic growth, repair strained public services, and ease cost-of-living pressures. Despite campaigning on a promise to restore integrity after years of scandal under Conservative rule, his government has faced repeated controversies and policy reversals, including over welfare cuts. Labour has also slipped behind the hard-right Reform UK party in opinion polls, fueling leadership speculation even before the Mandelson revelations reignited internal dissent.

Under Britain’s parliamentary system, a change in prime minister does not require a general election. If Starmer is forced out or resigns, Labour would hold a leadership contest, and the winner would automatically become prime minister. Recent history has shown how destabilizing leadership churn can be, with the Conservatives cycling through three prime ministers between elections, including Liz Truss’s brief 49-day tenure. Starmer was elected promising to end that era of chaos, a goal that now appears increasingly difficult as his leadership hangs in the balance.