The prime minister’s authority with his own Labour Party has been battered by fallout from the publication of files related to Epstein — a man he never met and whose sexual misconduct has not implicated Starmer.
Some lawmakers in Starmer’s center-left Labour Party have called on him to resign for his judgment in appointing Peter Mandelson to the high-profile diplomatic post in 2024 despite his ties to the convicted sex offender. The leader of the Labour Party in Scotland, Anas Sarwar, joined those calls Monday, saying “there have been too many mistakes” and “the leadership in Downing Street has to change.”
Starmer’s chief of staff and his communications director have also quit in quick succession. But Starmer insisted he will not step down.
“Every fight I have ever been in, I’ve won,” he told Labour lawmakers at a meeting in Parliament.
“I’m not prepared to walk away from my mandate and my responsibility to my country,” he added.
