Keir Starmer dealt new blow as union boss calls for leadership change over Lord Mandelson scandal

Mr Wright had previously warned last month that Sir Keir was on his “last chance” as Prime Minister, suggesting all 11 affiliated unions could unite to tell him his time is up following poor local election results.

Sir Keir, who accused Lord Madelson of being a “liar” and accused him of “betrayal” last week, is under increasing pressure after appointing Lord Mandelson as the UK’s Ambassador to the US.

He was forced to sack the peer from the role in September last year following fresh revelations about Lord Mandelson’s relationship with the late paedophile financier Jeffrey Epstein.

Lord Mandelson is also under investigation for allegations of leaking market-sensitive No10 documents to Epstein during the 2008 financial crisis.

Speaking on the current scandal embroiling Sir Keir, Mr Wright stressed that “we need to see change.”

He continued: “I think 18 months ago the general public wanted to see that change – and we’re not seeing it, we’re just seeing a continuation of what happened before…I think that needs to be a leadership change. I think MPs need to be calling for that.”

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Asked specifically if he was calling for Sir Keir to go, the union boss responded: “I think everybody’s thinking it. We’re just not saying it at the moment.”

The FBU General Secretary accused the Prime Minister of disregarding counsel from senior elected colleagues within his own Government.

Mr Wright pointed to reports that both Angela Rayner, the former deputy prime minister, and David Lammy, the current holder of that position, had advised against appointing Mandelson to the Washington role.

“It seems that the Prime Minister isn’t taking advice from elected people within his own government,” Mr Wright told the BBC.

Mr Wright continued: “We’ve seen that he didn’t listen to the former deputy prime minister. He hasn’t listened to his current deputy prime minister. He’s listening to a factional group which are making bad decisions, it seems.”

The union boss expressed frustration that the transformation voters expected eighteen months ago had failed to materialise.

“I want to see the change that was promised, and this country needs,” he said.

Mr Wright is the latest of Sir Keir’s allies who has broken ranks over the Lord Mandelson scandal, after friends of David Lammy said he also opposed the appointment of the now disgraced peer.

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Labour MP for Alloa and Grangemouth Brian Leishman said: “Morgan McSweeney’s resignation as chief of staff to the Prime Minister is in the best interests of the Government.

“He was at the heart of the political misjudgements and errors that have been made since winning the general election.

“It is also in the best interests of the Labour Party as he was instrumental in the lack of internal democracy and the culture of intense factionalism we are suffering from.

“There must be a change in political direction and that comes from the very top, so the Prime Minister must look at his own position and question whether he should follow McSweeney’s lead one last time, and resign for the good of the country and the Labour Party.”

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Opposition party leaders were quick to criticise Sir Keir Starmer and also call for the Prime Minister to resign.

Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch said the Prime Minister should “take responsibility” for his actions, in reaction to his chief of staff Morgan McSweeney’s departure.

She said: “It’s about time But once again with this PM it’s somebody else’s fault: ‘Mandelson lied to me’ or ‘Morgan advised me.’ Keir Starmer has to take responsibility for his own terrible decisions. But he never does.”

Reform leader Nigel Farage said: “As predicted McSweeney has gone. Labour are just continuing the chaos we saw under the Tories. My money says Starmer won’t be far behind after Labour’s disaster in the elections this coming May.”