A veteran Labour MP has admitted that Sir Keir Starmer is “finished” following shock revelations about his decision to appoint Lord Mandelson as the UK’s Ambassador to the US despite the ex-Cabinet Minister’s friendship with convicted paedophile Jeffrey Epstein.
Graham Stringer, who was first elected as the MP for Blackley & Middleton South in 1997, gave a blunt one-word answer when discussing the Prime Minister’s future on GB News.
GB News host Martin Daubney asked: “Graham Stringer, final question, I’d appreciate a one-word answer, if I could. Is Keir Starmer finished?”
Mr Stringer, who is Labour’s last pro-Brexit MP in the House of Commons, replied: “Yes.”
Discussing the impact of the Lord Mandelson scandal, Mr Stringer added: “It’s embarrassing some of the policy documents that have gone out and some of the policy decisions, talk about Chagos or the failure to reform the benefits system.
“There are a whole series of things that are embarrassing. But overall [the Mandelson scandal] is just simply appalling, and we have to put it right.
“Again, I’ve said in this studio, we should give the Prime Minister time to put it right. He’s not put it right. He’s dug himself deeper into a hole.
“The apology he made today, it wasn’t a completely full but he should have started yesterday [with it].
“Be honest, promise the documents and say, ‘I am sorry, I did it for the best reasons but I misjudged it’.
“It wouldn’t have completely absolved him but it would have stopped the leader of the opposition, Kemi Badenoch, nailing him because he wasn’t forthright to begin with.”
Sir Keir made a grovelling apology today in yet another attempt to reboot his premiership.
Speaking from Hastings, the Prime Minister said: “I want to say this. I am sorry – sorry for what was done to you, sorry that so many people with power failed, sorry for having believed Mandelson’s lies and appointed him, and sorry that even now you’re forced to watch this story unfold in public once again.”
Despite pleading for Labour MPs to rally behind him, leadership rivals Angela Rayner and Wes Streeting have been urged to challenge Sir Keir for the Labour leadership.
Tory leader Kemi Badenoch invited Labour MPs to meet with the Conservative Party’s Chief Whip Rebecca Harris to discuss forcing a vote of no confidence.
She said: “It is now up to Labour MPs to do the right thing. I know there are many of them who are horrified by what has happened. We saw that in the House of Commons just yesterday.
“They might now expect the Prime Minister to take responsibility, but we know he won’t. He will have to be dragged out of No10.
“So, I am making them an offer: if they want the change they know the country needs, come and talk to my whips and let’s talk seriously about a vote of no confidence to force the moment.”
Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey drew parallels between the Mandelson scandal and Boris Johnson’s departure from Downing Street in 2022.
“The British people can’t afford for this Labour soap opera to drag on for months or even years, like the Conservative Party did with Boris Johnson,” Sir Ed said.
He added: “Keir Starmer should say ‘put up or shut up’. Let’s have a confidence vote now to see whether Labour MPs have any confidence in the Prime Minister, so the Government can get past this one way or the other and start focusing on the change our country needs.”
However, Sir Keir appeared to lose control of his parliamentary majority yesterday, with a group of rebellious backbenchers forcing No10 to hand over files related to Lord Mandelson’s appointment to Parliament’s Intelligence & Security Committee.
Speaking at Prime Minister’s Questions before the debate, Sir Keir admitted that No10 knew Lord Mandelson had stayed at Epstein’s home during its vetting process.
The Prime Minister insists Lord Mandelson “lied” about the extent of his friendship with Epstein.
Labour MPs have also called on Sir Keir’s chief of staff Morgan McSweeney to resign due to his close association with Lord Mandelson.