Two top Starmer aides resign over ex-ambassador's Epstein ties, putting prime minister on the ropes
Asked whether the British leader might resign on Monday, a spokesman replied in the negative, adding that the prime minister is busy working on implementing changes across the country.
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer.
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer is under pressure following the resignation of his chief of staff and communications director over his former ambassador to the United States' links to Jeffrey Epstein. However, Starmer is not contemplating stepping down and is "focused on his job," a spokesman said Monday.
Asked whether Starmer might resign on Monday, the spokesman replied in the negative, adding that the prime minister is getting on with the job of implementing change across the country.
The Labour leader is scheduled to address his party's MPs later in the day, as some of them have joined Conservative opposition calls for him to resign.
The Labour leader, in office for 19 months, is facing calls for his resignation from opposition politicians over the appointment of Peter Mandelson as U.S. ambassador, despite knowing Mandelson had maintained links with Epstein after the American sex offender was convicted in 2008.
The communications chief resigned on Monday, Downing Street confirmed, in the latest blow for the beleaguered leader as his government grapples with the fallout from the Jeffrey Epstein scandal.
"I have decided to stand down to allow a new No. 10 team to be built," Tim Allan said in a short statement less than 24 hours after Starmer's chief of staff also resigned.
His chief of staff, Morgan McSweeney, stepped down on Sunday, depriving Starmer of his closest advisor and someone who has long acted as a shield against criticism of the British leader.
Emails showing links to Epstein
Starmer fired Mandelson in September last year after documents released by the U.S. Congress revealed the extent of Mandelson's relationship with Epstein, who committed suicide in prison in 2019.
Documents released Jan. 30 by the U.S. Justice Department reignited the controversy, apparently showing that Mandelson leaked confidential information from the U.K. government to financier Epstein when he was a British minister, including during the 2008 financial crisis.
Police are investigating Mandelson, 72, for misconduct in public office and raided two of his properties on Friday. He has not been arrested.
Starmer apologized to Epstein's victims and accused Mandelson of lying about his ties to the financier during the vetting process for his appointment in Washington.
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