Labour Peer Urges Starmer To Act Or Face End Of Premiership

Labour peer Harriet Harman has urged Keir Starmer to take stronger action over the scandal surrounding Peter Mandelson or risk losing his job.

The prime minister is under immense pressure over his decision to appoint Mandelson as Britain’s ambassador to Washington last year, despite knowing about his relationship with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

While Mandelson was sacked in September, a new batch of files released by US lawmakers last week showed just how extensive their friendship was, putting the spotlight on Starmer’s judgement once again.

The prime minister apologised to Epstein’s victims on Thursday, saying Mandelson had lied to him – but Harman, former deputy Labour leader, said that was not enough.

She said: “I think it is so serious for Keir Starmer. I don’t think it’s inevitable that it will bring him down.

“But it will bring him down unless he takes the action, which is really necessary for him to take, and that’s this: firstly, he’s got to stop blaming Mandelson and saying, ‘he lied to me’. Because actually he should never have been considering him in the first place.

“To say ‘he lied to me’ makes it look weak and naive and gullible. So it’s just completely the wrong thing.”

Speaking to Sky News’ Electoral Dysfunction podcast, Harman said Starmer had drifted from his values in appointing Mandelson, and that he must return to them for his career to survive.

She said he should also be “reflecting on why he made that appointment” rather than blaming Mandelson for it all.

“He should also be thinking about a real reset in Number 10, because what you need from your team in Number 10 is people who share your values and your principles and who will help you be the best prime minister you can be, according to your true self,” the peer said.

“Clearly, that is not what happened because the Keir Starmer, who was DPP [director of public prosecutions], would never have appointed somebody like Peter Mandelson to represent the country.”

She urged Starmer to drop his chief of staff Morgan McSweeney, who pushed for Mandelson’s appointment, and to bring forward the government’s action on tackling violence against women and girls.

Harman said this would win back the confidence of the Labour backbenchers, parliament and the UK.

There’s rising outrage within the Labour Party over the government’s attempts to block the release of documents from before and after Mandelson’s appointment.

Backlash from his own MPs forced Starmer to climb down and agree to allow an independent committee of MPs to choose what information is published.

No.10 officials have stood by McSweeney so far, with housing secretary Steve Reed insisting he is “of course” safe in the job.

Meanwhile, Home Office minister Mike Tapp insisted that Mandelson had “tricked” Starmer when speaking to BBC Radio 4′s Today programme.

Mandelson quit the Labour Party on Sunday and stood down from the House of Lords earlier this week.