Sir Keir Starmer left clinging to power after Anas Sarwar tells Prime Minister to resign

The Prime Minister’s position is in jeopardy over his decision to appoint Lord Mandelson as ambassador to the US despite his friendship with paedophile financier Jeffrey Epstein.

The Met Police have launched a criminal investigation into Lord Mandelson over allegations he leaked market-sensitive information to Epstein while he was business secretary, while he also described Epstein’s release from jail as “liberation day”. He has denied his actions were a crime.

Mr Sarwar hit out at “failures in the heart of Downing Street”, warning they were hurting Labour’s chances in Scotland.

He is the most senior Labour politician to call for Sir Keir to go, conscious of the task facing Scottish Labour in May’s Holyrood elections where opinion polls indicate his party faces coming third behind the SNP and Reform.

At a hastily convened press conference in Glasgow this afternoon, Mr Sarwar said: “The distraction needs to end and the leadership in Downing Street has to change.”

But as he was speaking, a series of Cabinet ministers rushed out statements in support of Sir Keir.

Chancellor Rachel Reeves said: “With Keir as our Prime Minister we are turning the country around.”

Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper said: “At this crucial time for the world, we need his leadership not just at home but on the global stage.”

Health Secretary Wes Streeting told Sky News’ Electoral Dysfunction podcast “no” when asked whether Sir Keir needed to resign and urged Labour MPs to give the Prime Minister a chance.

Former deputy Labour leader Angela Rayner, like Mr Streeting a potential successor to Sir Keir, said: “I urge all my colleagues to come together, remember our values and put them into practice as a team. The Prime Minister has my full support in leading us to that end.”

West Yorkshire Mayor Tracy Brabin appeared to back the Prime Minister, saying in a statement: “Public and businesses tell me that what they want is stability to deliver on what was promised. That’s what we should all be focused on.

“Of course we need to be better, more than ever before we need to bring more women into the room, and rise to that challenge together.”

At the time of publication, neither York and North Yorkshire Mayor David Skaith or South Yorkshire Mayor Oliver Coppard had said anything publicly.

Earlier in the day, Sir Keir’s director of communications Tim Allan announced that he was resigning, just a day after chief of staff Morgan McSweeney quit over the scandal.

York Central MP Rachael Maskell told The Yorkshire Post: “There has got to be a listening from No10 to the whole party, not just a small section of the party.

“I want to hear from the Prime Minister that he has understood the need for inclusion, both on creating policy so we don’t see those U-turns, and secondly on the culture of the party.”

The Prince and Princess of Wales also publicly addressed the Epstein scandal for the first time, expressing their deep concern amid the ongoing revelations surrounding Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor.

Ahead of William’s Saudi Arabia visit, a Kensington Palace spokesperson said: “I can confirm that the Prince and Princess of Wales have been deeply concerned by the continued revelations. Their thoughts remain focused on the victims.”

The fresh trove of documents released by the US Department of Justice have sparked a string of allegations against Andrew, who has always denied any wrongdoing.

Among the claims are that a second woman was sent to the UK by Epstein for a sexual encounter with Andrew, and also that the former prince and Epstein asked an exotic dancer for a threesome in the latter’s Florida home.

The latest allegation is that Andrew shared confidential reports of official visits to Hong Kong, Vietnam, and Singapore in his role as the UK’s trade envoy.