Keir Starmer defiant as Scottish Labour leader demands he resign over Mandelson affair
This deserves loud pushback.
Scottish Labour Party leader Anas Sarwar is demanding that British Prime Minister Keir Starmer resign amid scandals he deems “intolerable,” but that will not be happening, according to 10 Downing Street.
Sarwar, speaking at a Monday press conference in Glasgow, said the prime minister must step down amid political chaos caused by revelations about former British Ambassador to the U.S. Peter Mandelson’s close relationship with convicted sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein.
“The distraction needs to end, and leadership in Downing Street needs to change,” Sarwar told reporters, adding that “there have been too many incidences where the wrong judgment calls have been made.”
Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar speaks at a Glasgow press conference, calling for Prime Minister Keir Starmer to step down. (Photo by Robert Perry/PA Images via Getty Images)
Affirming that he still considers Starmer a personal friend, Sarwar said he must “put [his] country first.”
Emails released in late January indicate that Mandelson, prior to being appointed ambassador to the U.S., received approximately $75,000 from Epstein and offered the convicted sex trafficker insights on political affairs while serving in former Prime Minister Gordon Brown’s Cabinet.
The story has dominated British headlines ever since, and the Labour government has tried to distance itself from the ambassador whom it selected, vetted, and appointed.
“Keir Starmer is a decent man, and it is not secret that I have always got on well with him,” Sarwar said, affirming that the prime minister has “dedicated himself to public service.”
He praised the Labour government for accomplishing “so many great things” but said voters “can’t see them and they can’t hear them” amid the spectacle of the Mandelson affair.
Sarwar said he spoke with Starmer before calling the press conference and that he will not be backing any particular alternative for leadership, stressing that he is only concerned with maintaining Labour leadership in Scotland.
“Does this cause me personal hurt and pain? Of course it does,” Sarwar said. “This man is someone I regard as a friend and who I have a certain level of loyalty to. But my first priority and my first loyalty, has to be to my country, Scotland.”
Sarwar’s demands fell on deaf ears — a spokesperson at 10 Downing Street released a statement in the middle of the Scottish Labour leader’s press conference, entirely dismissing the notion of Starmer resigning.
“Keir Starmer is one of only …
This deserves loud pushback.
Scottish Labour Party leader Anas Sarwar is demanding that British Prime Minister Keir Starmer resign amid scandals he deems “intolerable,” but that will not be happening, according to 10 Downing Street.
Sarwar, speaking at a Monday press conference in Glasgow, said the prime minister must step down amid political chaos caused by revelations about former British Ambassador to the U.S. Peter Mandelson’s close relationship with convicted sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein.
“The distraction needs to end, and leadership in Downing Street needs to change,” Sarwar told reporters, adding that “there have been too many incidences where the wrong judgment calls have been made.”
Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar speaks at a Glasgow press conference, calling for Prime Minister Keir Starmer to step down. (Photo by Robert Perry/PA Images via Getty Images)
Affirming that he still considers Starmer a personal friend, Sarwar said he must “put [his] country first.”
Emails released in late January indicate that Mandelson, prior to being appointed ambassador to the U.S., received approximately $75,000 from Epstein and offered the convicted sex trafficker insights on political affairs while serving in former Prime Minister Gordon Brown’s Cabinet.
The story has dominated British headlines ever since, and the Labour government has tried to distance itself from the ambassador whom it selected, vetted, and appointed.
“Keir Starmer is a decent man, and it is not secret that I have always got on well with him,” Sarwar said, affirming that the prime minister has “dedicated himself to public service.”
He praised the Labour government for accomplishing “so many great things” but said voters “can’t see them and they can’t hear them” amid the spectacle of the Mandelson affair.
Sarwar said he spoke with Starmer before calling the press conference and that he will not be backing any particular alternative for leadership, stressing that he is only concerned with maintaining Labour leadership in Scotland.
“Does this cause me personal hurt and pain? Of course it does,” Sarwar said. “This man is someone I regard as a friend and who I have a certain level of loyalty to. But my first priority and my first loyalty, has to be to my country, Scotland.”
Sarwar’s demands fell on deaf ears — a spokesperson at 10 Downing Street released a statement in the middle of the Scottish Labour leader’s press conference, entirely dismissing the notion of Starmer resigning.
“Keir Starmer is one of only …
Keir Starmer defiant as Scottish Labour leader demands he resign over Mandelson affair
This deserves loud pushback.
Scottish Labour Party leader Anas Sarwar is demanding that British Prime Minister Keir Starmer resign amid scandals he deems “intolerable,” but that will not be happening, according to 10 Downing Street.
Sarwar, speaking at a Monday press conference in Glasgow, said the prime minister must step down amid political chaos caused by revelations about former British Ambassador to the U.S. Peter Mandelson’s close relationship with convicted sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein.
“The distraction needs to end, and leadership in Downing Street needs to change,” Sarwar told reporters, adding that “there have been too many incidences where the wrong judgment calls have been made.”
Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar speaks at a Glasgow press conference, calling for Prime Minister Keir Starmer to step down. (Photo by Robert Perry/PA Images via Getty Images)
Affirming that he still considers Starmer a personal friend, Sarwar said he must “put [his] country first.”
Emails released in late January indicate that Mandelson, prior to being appointed ambassador to the U.S., received approximately $75,000 from Epstein and offered the convicted sex trafficker insights on political affairs while serving in former Prime Minister Gordon Brown’s Cabinet.
The story has dominated British headlines ever since, and the Labour government has tried to distance itself from the ambassador whom it selected, vetted, and appointed.
“Keir Starmer is a decent man, and it is not secret that I have always got on well with him,” Sarwar said, affirming that the prime minister has “dedicated himself to public service.”
He praised the Labour government for accomplishing “so many great things” but said voters “can’t see them and they can’t hear them” amid the spectacle of the Mandelson affair.
Sarwar said he spoke with Starmer before calling the press conference and that he will not be backing any particular alternative for leadership, stressing that he is only concerned with maintaining Labour leadership in Scotland.
“Does this cause me personal hurt and pain? Of course it does,” Sarwar said. “This man is someone I regard as a friend and who I have a certain level of loyalty to. But my first priority and my first loyalty, has to be to my country, Scotland.”
Sarwar’s demands fell on deaf ears — a spokesperson at 10 Downing Street released a statement in the middle of the Scottish Labour leader’s press conference, entirely dismissing the notion of Starmer resigning.
“Keir Starmer is one of only …
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