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Could Keir Starmer quit as Prime Minister? Everything you need to know

Reach Daily Express | February 6, 2026 1:40 AM CST

Sir Keir Starmer has come under intense fire from his own MPs for appointing Peter Mandelson to be the UK's ambassador to the US despite knowing the former Labour peer continued his relationship with Jeffrey Epstein following the financier's conviction for soliciting prostitution from a minor
Sir Keir gave a grovelling speech on Thursday in which he said "sorry" five times as the fallout of the Lord Mandelson scandal continues. The Prime Minister said: "I am sorry ... sorry for having believed Mandelson's lies and appointing him"
Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch has urged Labour MPs to join forces with her to oust Sir Keir. She suggested it was unlikely there would be another General Election until 2029, which would mean Labour stays in power. But she offered to help Labour remove Sir Keir and put another prime minister in No 10, as fury continued to grow over the Lord Mandelson scandal.
In the face of a mutiny from Labour MPs - led by former deputy prime minister Angela Rayner - on Wednesday, the Government backed down and ceded control to Parliament's Intelligence and Security Committee over what could be released into the public domain. Sir Keir's backbenchers are said to be pushing for a leadership rival to take on the PM.
One man who could be axed before Sir Keir is his chief of staff, Morgan McSweeney. This is despite the PM's spokesman saying Sir Keir has full confidence in his top aide.