Labour figures are appalled by the ‘ghastly, sordid mess’ and the PM is told it is ‘best for him, personally, that he leaves politics now’
A majority of Britons and leading figures across the political divide want Sir Keir Starmer to quit as his Government reels at the Mandelson-Epstein scandal. Fewer than one in four voters (23%) think he should remain as Labour leader and a mere 15% say it was a reasonable decision for him to appoint Peter Mandelson to the top diplomatic position of US ambassador. More than half of people (55%) now want Sir Keir to resign amid widespread dismay at the close relationship between Mandelson and convicted sex predator Jeffrey Epstein, according to the findings from Opinium.
The Prime Minister has a miserable net approval rating of -44, far behind Reform UK leader Nigel Farage (-11) and the Conservatives’ Kemi Badenoch (-9). Among people who voted Labour last year, only 48% want him to cling on.
A Labour MP pressed for Sir Keir to call it a day, telling the Sunday Express: “He fails to connect with any group in society. He’s got no communication skills. He’s proven he’s got poor judgement. He’s proven again this week he lacks those vital political skills. It’s best for him, personally, that he leaves politics now.”
Damningly, most Britons (56%) say Sir Keir should have anticipated the controversy before appointing Mandelson to the critical transatlantic role. Seven out of 10 (71%) want Mandelson stripped of his peerage, with just 6% saying he should retain it.
Shadow Foreign Secretary Prit Patel urged Sir Keir to resign as she warned of the consequences for the country of the crisis continuing.
She wrote in the Express: “Right now, the Labour Government is in paralysis and ruined by its own corrosive levels of sleaze. Starmer needs to show some backbone and take responsibility for this appalling scandal and put our country first and resign.”
Shadow Foreign Secretary Priti Patel says the PM should show ‘backbone’ and quit (Image: Phil Harris)
Reform UK head of policy Zia Yusuf said that if Sir Keir goes there should be a general election to avoid the installation of a Left-winger whose arrival could prove a “fast-track to economic chaos in a similar way to Liz Truss”.
He told the Sunday Express: “There is no way that Starmer is going to be replaced by somebody to the Right of him who is saying, ‘No, we need fiscal discipline, we need to get our borders under control.’”
Green party leader Zack Polanski has also called on the PM to leave the political stage, saying: “Keir Starmer knew that Peter Mandelson was still friends with a notorious paedophile, was still staying in his house and he brought him into the heart of Government because he knew he could whisper into Donald Trump‘s ear. That’s a catastrophic level of misjudgment… It is time for Keir Starmer to step down.”
The outrage comes as Labour attempts to defend the Greater Manchester seat of Gorton and Denton in this month’s by-election and keep council seats and hold onto control of the Welsh Parliament in the May elections.
There are strong fears that pro-independence Plaid Cymru and Reform UK will emerge as the two biggest parties in the Welsh Parliament.
A senior Welsh Labour figure admitted: “Every week things seem to keep getting worse. I don’t see how Starmer can campaign in Wales. From a Welsh perspective the polls are clearly reflecting a sense that this Government just doesn’t really see Wales as a priority. Welsh Labour used to stand up for Wales. We were defined by our determination to put Wales first. Since the general election we seem to have forgotten Wales. And people can see it.”
A former Labour minister described the situation as a “ghastly, sordid mess” and feared the Welsh elections were “lost a long time ago for Labour,” adding: “There ain’t no cavalry thundering to the rescue.”
Nigel Farage has high ambitions for a Reform UK breakthrough in Wales in May (Image: Getty)
There are worries the scandal could become even more serious as Mandelson’s texts and emails with other Labour figures are published, potentially wrecking careers and, it is suggested, bringing down the Government.
A Labour MP doubted that sacking Downing Street chief of staff Morgan McSweeney would save the PM, saying: “From Alastair Campbell to Dominic Cummings, as soon as the chief adviser is gone, the Prime Minister isn’t long behind them.”
But another Labour MP loyal to Sir Keir was horrified at the lack of support shown for him, saying: “I’m appalled how quickly some are prepared to throw him under the bus. The PM has my 110% support. He a good man.”
The Government is about to start working on tightening the standards expected of those elected to serve the public.
A Government spokesperson said: “Most people who enter public life do so with a strong sense of duty and to make a difference to people’s lives. But the shameful and disgraceful behaviour revealed this week is wholly incompatible with public service, and it is right that no one is above accountability.”
The Opinium polling shows Reform UK leads the polls on 31%, followed by Labour (23%,, the Conservatives (16%), the Greens (13%) and the Liberal Democrats (10%).
James Crouch, head of policy and public affairs at Opinium, said: “The deepening fallout from the Mandelson appointment has pushed Starmer’s rating even lower, with most voters now questioning his judgement on the appointment and placing equal blame on the prime minister and his advisers.”
