Sir Keir Starmer’s leadership remains in deep jeopardy as a new poll suggests the majority of voters think he should quit.
Data collected by Opinium for The Observer showed 55 per cent of UK adults want the prime minister to step down over the Mandelson-Epstein scandal.
Just 23 per cent of respondents said he should stay in post, with 22 per cent saying they did not know.
It comes after former primer minister, Gordon Brown warned that Sir Keir’s situation is “serious” and suggested he may have been “too slow” to put things right.
Sir Keir has apologised for believing Lord Mandelson’s “lies” and vowed to hand over documents related to his vetting to parliament’s intelligence and security committee (ISC).
Officers from the Metropolitan Police searched addresses in Wiltshire and Camden, north London, as part of a misconduct in public office investigation launched into Lord Mandelson on Friday.
The force said the alleged offences involved a 72-year-old man and confirmed that he had not been arrested in a “complex investigation” which concluded on Saturday morning.
Mandelson payout under review after reports he received five-figure settlement after sacking
Lord Peter Mandelson is reported to have received a payout worth tens of thousands of pounds after being sacked as US ambassador over new details that emerged in the latest tranche of documents released in the Epstein files, according to the Times.
Government sources confirmed that a financial settlement had been agreed but a number was not confirmed, but the payment is now under review, according to the BBC.
While his salary has not been published, the role is among the highest paid in the diplomatic service raking in between £155,000 and £220,000 per year.
His exit is said to have left him with a payout equivalent to three months of taxpayer-funded pay, according to the Times and is estimated to be between £38,750 and £55,000 before tax and other deductions.
A Foreign Office spokesperson said: “Peter Mandelson’s civil service employment was terminated in accordance with legal advice and the terms and conditions of his employment.
“Normal civil services HR processes were followed. Further information will be provided to Parliament as part of the government response to the motion passed last week which is being co-ordinated by the cabinet office.”
Lammy ‘warned’ Starmer about Mandelson appointment
Sir Keir Starmer is facing further backlash as it emerged that deputy prime minister David Lammy warned the leader about appointing Lord Peter Mandelson as US ambassador amid his links to Jeffrey Epstein.
Friends and allies of Lammy told the Telegraph he had been against the appointment of Mandelson and in favour of an extension of Dame Karen Pierce’s term in the role due to her connections to President Donald Trump’s inner circle.
Mr Starmer is said to be “devastated” over the scandal and contemplating whether to stay as PM, according to the publication.
Powell warns Mandelson scandal could impact curcial by-election
Lucy Powell, Deputy Labour Leader, told The Independent the scandal could impact the Gorton and Denton by-election.
“I imagine [Peter Mandelson] will come up in some parts of the constituency,” she said.
“More than others for those who more closely follow the news.”
Ms Powell added: “All I’d say is that prime ministers have to make judgement calls all day long and all the time, and sometimes they get them wrong.
“I think the prime minister’s put his hands up about that.”
Poll suggest British voters think Sir Keir should quit as Labour leader
A poll by Opinium indicated that more than half, 55 per cent, of British voters thought Sir Keir Starmer should quit as Labour leader, with just 23 per cent saying he should remain.
Sir Keir’s net approval rate fell three points in a fortnight to minus 44, with 61 per cent of those surveyed saying they disapproved of him and just 17 per cent saying they approved.Opinium surveyed 2,054 adults between Wednesday and Friday.
Former prime minister Gordon Brown said the situation facing Sir Keir was “serious” and suggested he had been “too slow to do the right things” to clean up politics in the wake of the Peter Mandelson row.
Mandelson’s US ambassador payoff ‘to be reviewed by government’
Lord Mandelson was fired over his relationship with the disgraced US financier Jeffrey Epstein, and anger in Westminster has intensified after the latest release of documents, which indicated he leaked information to his friend while he was a government minister.
After being forced out of his post in September last year, the peer received payment equivalent to three months’ salary, according to reports in The Times.
More here.
Starmer’s deputy warns Mandelson scandal will impact crucial by-election
Sir Keir Starmer’s deputy leader has warned the upcoming by-election in Gorton and Denton is a “dry run” for a general election as the prime minister – wounded by the Peter Mandelson scandal – faces a battle to cling on to the historically safe Labour seat.
Lucy Powell told The Independent that the vote, on 26 February, represents “a line in the sand” in Labour’s fight to stop the advance of Nigel Farage’s Reform UK.
But she admitted she expects the Mandelson issue to come up on the doorstep, and she could not say that Labour was confident of retaining the seat or if the prime minister will show his face there.
More here.
Met police say probe into Mandelson’s alleged misconduct will take time
The Metropolitan Police said its investigation into Peter Mandelson, 72, over alleged misconduct in public office would “take some time” after officers finished searching his homes in London and Wiltshire.
“This will be a complex investigation requiring a significant amount of further evidence gathering and analysis,” Metropolitan Police Deputy Assistant Commissioner Hayley Sewart said.
Mandelson faces demands to hand back payoff
Peter Mandelson is facing demands to hand back the alleged payoff he received after being sacked as ambassador to the US, a sum which could run into the tens of thousands.
The peer was sacked over his relationship with paedophile financier Jeffrey Epstein, but anger in Westminster has intensified after the latest release of documents which indicated he leaked information to his friend while he was a government minister.
Allies of prime minister Sir Keir Starmer said the peer should give the taxpayer-funded handout back or donate it to a victims’ charity.
The Foreign Office said a review had been launched “in light of further information that has now been revealed”.The taxpayer-funded payoff he received after being dismissed in September last year could be as high as £55,000 before tax and deductions, the Sunday Times reported.
Sir Keir Starmer has been left fighting for his future amid questions over his judgment in appointing Mandelson to the role.
Full details about Mandelson’s payoff, after being thrown out after just seven months in the Washington role, will be disclosed to parliament after MPs backed a call for disclosure of papers relating to his time in the government.
But the Sunday Times suggested the figure could be between £38,750 and £55,000, based on Mandelson being paid at the highest rate in the diplomatic service, an annual salary of between £155,000 and £220,000, and qualifying for a three-month payoff.
Zack Polanski has called on Sir Keir Starmer to quit
Green Party leader Zack Polanski has called on Sir Keir Starmer to quit, claiming the Peter Mandelson scandal “erodes trust in politics”.
Mr Polanski said the prime minister “needs to go” after showing a “catastrophic level of misjudgment” by making Lord Mandelson the ambassador to the US.
He told the Press Association: “I think the Peter Mandelson scandal actually is bad for democracy in general.”I think it erodes trust in politicians. I think we already know that people deeply mistrust the political system and, actually, I just think it reflects on everyone really badly.
“I do think Keir Starmer needs to go though. Keir Starmer knew that Peter Mandelson was still friends with a notorious paedophile, was still staying in his house and he brought him into the heart of government because he knew he could whisper into Donald Trump’s ear.
“That’s a catastrophic level of misjudgment. It wasn’t just one mistake – with Keir Starmer we’ve seen misjudgment after misjudgment.”
Analysis: A surprise candidate to replace Starmer could neutralise Farage’s voter appeal
Source: UK Politics - www.independent.co.uk
