British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said Monday that he would fight for his job as a new wave of revelations about former U.K. ambassador Peter Mandelson’s relationship with Jeffrey Epstein triggered a crisis for his Labour government. The furor has also intensified tensions inside the party, where some lawmakers and allies have argued Starmer made a serious judgment error by appointing Mandelson in 2024 despite Mandelson’s links to the convicted sex offender, whose misconduct has not implicated Starmer.
Starmer faced pressure to resign after the publication of files tied to Epstein, a man the prime minister said he never met and whose sexual misconduct has not been tied to Starmer. In comments to Labour lawmakers at a Parliament meeting, Starmer told colleagues, “Every fight I have ever been in, I’ve won.” He added, “I’m not prepared to walk away from my mandate and my responsibility to my country,” setting the tone for his refusal to step down even as lawmakers questioned his leadership.
The Labour Party leader in Scotland, Anas Sarwar, joined the resignation calls Monday, saying there “have been too many mistakes” and that “the leadership in Downing Street has to change.” Sarwar’s intervention came after Starmer’s chief of staff and communications director quit in quick succession, according to the Associated Press, even as Starmer insisted he would remain in office.
After Sarwar spoke, senior colleagues rallied behind Starmer. Deputy Prime Minister David Lammy wrote on X that “we should let nothing distract us from our mission to change Britain and we support the Prime Minister in doing that.” Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper posted that “at this crucial time for the world, we need his leadership not just at home but on the global stage,” and former Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner said Starmer “has my full support,” as doubts swirled over how the party would manage the unfolding controversy.
Supporters also pointed to private meetings inside Labour. Legislator Chris Curtis, speaking about an address Starmer made to scores of Labour members of Parliament Monday evening behind closed doors, said, “Of course, there were tough moments,” adding that “he really brought the room round.”
The immediate political backdrop traces to Starmer’s decision to appoint Mandelson in 2024. The prime minister later fired Mandelson last September after emails were published indicating Mandelson maintained a friendship with Epstein after Epstein’s 2008 conviction for sex offenses involving a minor, according to the AP report. Mandelson’s career has faced scrutiny tied to previous scandals over money or ethics, the report said.
The crisis escalated further as a new trove of Epstein files—released by authorities in the United States on Jan. 30—produced additional details about the relationship and increased pressure on Starmer. Starmer apologized last week to Epstein’s victims and said he was sorry for “having believed Mandelson’s lies,” and the government said it will release documentation connected to Mandelson’s appointment.
Authorities said the promised documentation must be vetted on national security grounds and for potential conflicts with a police investigation, with publication expected to take weeks. Police are investigating Mandelson for potential misconduct in public office, with the AP report citing documents suggesting Mandelson passed sensitive government information to Epstein about a decade and a half ago. The offense carries a maximum sentence of life in prison; Mandelson has not been arrested or charged, and the AP reported that he does not face any allegations of sexual misconduct.
The personnel shake-up has also become part of the political calculus inside Labour. The AP said Starmer’s chief of staff, Morgan McSweeney, took the fall for the decision to give Mandelson the job by quitting Sunday, adding that he “advised the prime minister to make that appointment, and I take full responsibility for that advice.” McSweeney was described as a key architect of Labour’s July 2024 election victory, and some officials see his departure as a chance for Starmer to rebuild trust.
Senior lawmaker Emily Thornberry said McSweeney had become a “divisive figure” and that his exit provides the opportunity for a reset, while others in the party have argued McSweeney’s departure leaves Starmer weak and isolated. Opposition leaders seized on the turmoil as well, with Conservative Party leader Kemi Badenoch saying Starmer “has made bad decision after bad decision” and that “his position now is untenable.”
The political fight comes as Labour struggles to deliver promised economic growth, repair public services and ease cost-of-living pressures, the AP report said, and as opinion polls have shown Labour lagging behind Reform UK. Starmer has also tied the leadership fight to a broader political contest, telling Labour lawmakers that Reform UK’s politics would “tear this beautiful country apart,” and describing the effort to defeat it as “the fight of our times.”
Under Britain’s parliamentary system, the prime minister can change without a national election. The AP said that if Starmer is challenged or resigns, it would trigger an election for the Labour leadership, with the winner becoming prime minister. The Conservatives went through three prime ministers between national elections in 2019 and 2024, including Liz Truss, who lasted just 49 days in office.
At least some Labour lawmakers cautioned against underestimating Starmer’s ability to stay afloat. Labour lawmaker Clive Efford said Monday that Starmer’s critics should “be careful what you wish for,” adding, “I don’t think people took to the changes in prime minister when the Tories were in power,” and telling the BBC that “it didn’t do them any good.”