Britain's Prime Minister Keir Starmer in St Leonards-on-Sea, England, February 5, 2026. PETER NICHOLLS / AP
Keir Starmer's position as UK prime minister hit new trouble Monday, February 9, after the leader of Scottish Labour demanded he quit for embroiling the British government in the Jeffrey Epstein scandal.
Anas Sarwar is the most senior Labour politician to call on Starmer to resign for appointing Peter Mandelson as US ambassador, despite knowing he had maintained links to the convicted US sex offender.
The call came after Starmer lost his second top aide in two days. He struggled to shore up his stuttering premiership but vowed in an emergency meeting with staff to carry on. He was to address Labour MPs at a crunch meeting later Monday.
"The distraction needs to end, and the leadership in Downing Street has to change," Sarwar told a press conference in Glasgow. Calling Starmer a "decent man" who had "dedicated his life to public service," he said there had nonetheless "been too many mistakes."
