Scottish Labour Leader Anas Sarwar urged UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer to quit his post over his controversial appointment of Peter Mandelson as US ambassador, becoming the most senior party figure so far to pull support from the beleaguered premier.
“The distraction needs to end, and the leadership in Downing Street has to change,” Sarwar said on Monday in a televised press conference. “We cannot allow the failures at the heart of Downing Street to mean the failures continue here in Scotland,” he said, pointing to the need for Labour to win a set of Scottish Parliament elections in May.
Sarwar's intervention comes after some Labour backbenchers already called for Starmer to take responsibility for his decision in late 2024 to appoint Mandelson. That call was made despite — as the premier now concedes — knowing the Labour grandee had maintained ties with the pedophile financier Jeffrey Epstein for years after his 2008 conviction in a state prostitution case involving a minor.
Starmer spokesman, Tom Wells, earlier told reporters the prime minister wasn't planning to resign. The premier is due to address members of parliamentary Labour Party later on Monday.
The calls for Starmer's resignation will feed a growing sense of crisis engulfing 10 Downing St. after Starmer was hit by the departure of a second senior aide in 24 hours when his communications director, Tim Allan, quit a day after his chief of staff, Morgan McSweeney — a key architect of the Labour Party's landslide election win 18 months ago.
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Starmer earlier on Monday pledged to press on with his agenda despite his grip on power looking increasingly tenuous. In his remarks to staffers in No. 10, the premier praised McSweeney's contribution to Labour's political revival in recent years and signaled that he intended to fight on as prime minister.
“We must prove that politics can be a force for good. I believe it can. I believe it is,” Starmer said, according to a statement. “We go forward from here. We go with confidence as we continue changing the country.”
On Monday afternoon, a succession of cabinet ministers posted their support for Starmer on X, including Deputy Prime Minister David Lammy, Chancellor of the Exchequer Rachel Reeves, Defence Secretary John Healey and Housing Secretary Steve Reed. Notable Wes Streeting, who's been touted as the cabinet minister best placed to challenge Starmer for his job, urged in a podcast appearance that people “give Keir a chance.”
But the loss of Sarwar's backing is a blow to Starmer, especially as the two men had enjoyed a close working relationship. The Scottish Labour leader has grown increasing critical of the prime minister ahead of what's expected to be a tough election for control of Scotland's devolved parliament in May.
“This isn't easy, and it's not without pain, as I have a genuine friendship with Keir Starmer, but my first priority and my first loyalty is to my country, Scotland,” Sarwar said.
The renewed speculation over Starmer's position knocked long-maturity gilts and the pound early on Monday. Yields on 10-year government bonds rose as much as eight basis points to 4.60%, before paring the move. The pound weakened as much as 0.7% to 87.4 pence per euro.
Investors have tended to react negatively to the prospect of Starmer or Reeves leaving their posts, out of concern they could be replaced by colleagues more willing boost spending. Former Deputy Prime Prime Minister Angela Rayner, a prominent voice among the party's so-called soft left, and Health Secretary Streeting, who hails from Starmer's own centrist wing, have led betting-market odds on those mostly likely to become the next Labour leader.
Starmer, who has been struggling with historically low approval ratings and faced rebellions by backbench Members of Parliament, has come under increasing fire over the Mandelson appointment, despite firing the envoy in September. The initial decision is being reexamined after the extent of Mandelson's relationship with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein was revealed in files released by the US Justice Department late last month.
While McSweeney took the blame for Mandelson's appointment in his resignation statement, the decision ultimately rested with Starmer. The criticism has fueled questions about Starmer's ability to hang on as prime minister, with his leadership already weakened by series of policy reversals and the rise of Nigel Farage's populist Reform UK in the polls.
No. 10 officials were bracing for cabinet ministers to privately tell the premier to stand aside or threaten their resignations if he doesn't, according to people familiar with the matter who spoke anonymously in order to be candid about the turmoil at the top of the Labour Party. One aide to a cabinet minister said it was 50-50 whether Starmer would last the week.
Allan's exit will leave another void inside Starmer's depleted brain trust. McSweeney and Allan had been locked in a power struggle and aides risked descending into open infighting, according to people familiar with the matter.
“I have decided to stand down to allow a new No. 10 team to be built,” Allan said in a statement on Monday morning. “I wish the PM and his team every success.”
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