Keir Starmer is facing the toughest week of his premiership after finally sacking Peter Mandelson, a move that has thrown Labour into chaos. Mandelson, long dogged by questions about his friendship with Jeffrey Epstein, was removed as Britain’s ambassador to the US after fresh emails emerged showing the closeness of their relationship.
The Prime Minister had clung on to him for days, insisting he still had “full confidence” in the peer, but the drip of revelations made that position impossible to hold.
The timing could hardly be worse. Only last week, Angela Rayner quit as deputy leader over her tax affairs, forcing a rushed reshuffle. Now Starmer has lost another senior figure, and insiders are warning he might not last until Christmas himself, reported the Express.
The crisis also overshadows Donald Trump’s state visit next week, when he will meet King Charles, with critics accusing the Prime Minister of putting the monarch in a “terrible position”.
The final straw came when Bloomberg and The Sun published emails showing Mandelson telling Epstein to “fight for early release” from prison in 2008, and describing him as his “best pal.” In another, he wrote: “I think the world of you and I feel hopeless and furious about what has happened.”
The Foreign Office admitted this information had not been available during Mandelson’s vetting. Ministers told MPs the depth of the relationship was “materially different” from what was previously known.
The fallout has been swift. Kemi Badenoch blasted Starmer for being too slow to act, accusing him of putting “party before country.” She said: “He gave his full backing to a man unfit for office. He is a weak Prime Minister, who doesn’t have the courage to do the right thing at the right time.”
Former foreign secretary James Cleverly called it “a total fiasco” and predicted Starmer could be gone by Christmas. Nigel Farage said the sacking was inevitable and claimed Starmer was “becoming ever more distanced from his parliamentary party.”
The controversy is the third time Mandelson has been forced out of government, having twice resigned under Tony Blair. His reputation as the “Prince of Darkness” has long followed him, and his ties to Epstein were already a matter of public record. But the new cache of emails, coupled with photos released in the US showing Mandelson with Epstein at his Caribbean island, made his position untenable”.
“One image showed him in a white dressing gown chatting to Epstein during a 2002 holiday. Mandelson has previously admitted flying on Epstein’s private jet but insisted he was never introduced to women, saying, “perhaps because I am a gay man.”
Anger inside Labour is growing. Health Secretary Wes Streeting said he was “completely disgusted” by the messages, while backbench MPs warned of “widespread revulsion” in the party. Downing Street has refused to say whether Mandelson misled the vetting process, but admitted his removal was necessary “mindful, as we all are, of the victims of Epstein’s appalling crimes.”
Starmer’s team had hoped Mandelson’s experience would strengthen ties with Washington, where he had been well-regarded by Trump’s White House. Instead, his sudden departure has created a diplomatic headache just as Britain prepares to host the US president. James Roscoe, a seasoned diplomat who once worked for Queen Elizabeth II, has been named interim ambassador.
For Starmer, though, the immediate concern is survival. After 14 months plagued by tax rises, freebies rows, and resignations, Labour is sinking in the polls behind Reform. Many MPs fear the Prime Minister is running out of second chances, and that his government is sliding into freefall.
