Cabinet rallies around Starmer as PM vows to fight on despite Sarwar's call to quit
Former deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner, Health Secretary Wes Streeting and Chancellor Rachel Reeves are among those backing the PM.
Labour cabinet ministers have rallied around Sir Keir Starmer in the wake of Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar's call for the PM to quit over the ongoing Mandelson scandal.
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Downing Street insisted the Prime Minister would fight on as he faced increasing pressure on Monday, as two of his top aides quit in quick succession.
Anas Sarwar called on the PM to stand down on Monday during an impromptu press conference at Trades Hall in Glasgow, insisting: "the distraction needs to stop".
But recent hours have seen prominent Labour figures come out in support of the Prime Minister, with former deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner insisting Sir Keir Starmer has her “full support”, before urging MPs to “come together… as a team”.
Chancellor Rachel Reeves was also seen to back Starmer on Monday, saying: “With Keir as our Prime Minister we are turning the country around.”
Something of a rollercoaster, the PM was greeted with applause as he arrived at a meeting of the Parliamentary Labour Party on Monday evening.
Read more: Scottish Labour leader calls for Starmer to go after top aides quit but PM vows to fight on
The outpouring of support from MPs included remarks from Health Secretary Wes Streeting and Pat McFadden, with the Work and Pensions Secretary saying: “As someone said to me in the constituency on Friday ‘tell your boss to keep going’.”
“I did and I hope he does.”
Speaking to staff at Downing Street today, the PM said we must “go forward from here” and prove that politics can be a “force for good”.
"I believe it can. I believe it is. We go forward from here," Starmer said, adding: "We go with confidence as we continue changing the country."
The PM's comments come as Sir Keir fights for his position amid calls to resign due to the growing furore over Peter Mandelson, insisting he will be “concentrating on the job in hand”, according to Downing Street.
It comes less than a week after Sarwar backed Starmer to keep his job, despite insisting that Mandelson "should never even have been considered to be the ambassador the US".
Last week, the Scottish Labour leader told Holyrood: "Peter Mandelson has betrayed his country, he has betrayed the victims of Jeffrey Epstein, he has betrayed this country, and he has betrayed the party he once belonged to, and he should feel the full force of the law."
In the latest blow for the prime minister, his Director of Communications Tim Allan quit on Monday following the departure of Downing Street Chief of Staff Morgan McSweeney.
It comes as the Chief Secretary to the Prime Minister said on Monday evening that the Government will consider the “use of non-corporate communications channels”, amid the fallout over the Lord Peter Mandelson scandal.
Addressing the Commons, Darren Jones said the Epstein Files have shown “that it has been far too easy to forward sensitive information via unofficial channels” after revelations Lord Mandelson sent emails from his private account to paedophile financier Jeffrey Epstein.
He said: “We will consider whether the current arrangements for the declaration and publication of financial interests for ministers and senior Government officials are sufficient, and whether in the future, regular published financial disclosure forms or other additional transparency measures should be used.
“We will look closely at our system for providing transparency around lobbying, and it is clear that we should consider, again, the use of non-corporate communications channels within Government.”
In the wake of his departure announcement, Mr Allan said on Monday: “I have decided to stand down to allow a new No10 team to be built. I wish the PM and his team every success.”
Mr Allan is Keir Starmer’s third director of comms and was only appointed a few months ago.
Mr Allan was appointed Downing Street’s executive director of communications at the start of September under Sir Keir’s attempted “reset” at No 10.
Kemi Badenoch told LBC this morning: “Tim Allen only came in in September. He was in the job three months and he's already leaving. That does not give you any confidence that Number 10 is being well run.
"The Prime Minister is in office, not in power. If he can't do the job, then he should step aside and let someone else do it.”
She added that it is only a matter of time before Sir Keir is no longer prime minister.
“I have said it's a matter of when, not if,” she said.
“When, I don't know. That is up to Labour MPs. I made an offer to them last week. If they want to hold a confidence vote, they should come to my whip’s office.
"I'm the only person who can trigger that as Leader of the Opposition. But the big issue is that the country is not being governed. I'm worried about people like the ones I've been talking to you this morning here in this pub.
"They need help. The economy is going backwards, unemployment is increasing. The government is not focused on their issues, only on their internal psychodrama.”
Mr Allen's resignation comes just one day after his top aide Morgan McSweeney quit.
The latest release of the so-called Epstein Files by the US government detailed Mandelson’s relationship with the convicted sex offender, including email exchanges about fiscal policy during the 2008 financial crash.
McSweeney, who is widely seen as Sir Keir's right-hand man, admitted he advised the Prime Minister to appoint Mandelson, despite his very public links to Jeffrey Epstein.
Sir Keir has also come under fire for admitting he knew Mandelson had links to the sex offender, but stressed that he "lied repeatedly" about the extent of their relationship.
The PM met with Labour MPs on Monday to garner support and move on from the scandal over Mandelson's ties to Epstein.
The party's backbenchers are expected to tell Starmer he should quit, given that he made the final decision on appointing Mandelson. Kim Johnson, the MP for Liverpool Riverside, told the Telegraph that Mr McSweeney’s resignation would “not protect the PM – his position is untenable”.
Ian Byrne, the MP for Liverpool West, said: “The PM must now reflect honestly on his own position and ask whether, for the good of the country and the Labour Party, he should follow McSweeney’s lead.”