UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer said on Tuesday he would never walk away from his mandate, amid mounting pressure on his leadership over the appointment of former ambassador to the US. Peter Mandelson, who has close ties with the late US. sex offender Jeffrey Epstein
“I will never walk away from the mandate that I was given to change this country,” Starmer said. “I will never walk away from the people that I’m charged with fighting for, and I will never walk away from the country that I love.”
Epstein Files: UK’s Starmer refuses to heed calls to quit over Mandelson scandal
Earlier on 9 February 2026, the UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer issued a rallying cry to his staff on Monday, signalling he would not heed calls to step down after a second aide resigned over the decision to appoint Peter Mandelson as ambassador to the US.
Downing Street Communications chief, Tim Allan, said he was resigning to make way for a new team to support the UK leader, a day after Starmer’s closest aide, Morgan McSweeney, stepped down over Mandelson’s ties to the late US. sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
Downing Street Communications chief, Tim Allan, said he was resigning to make way for a new team to support the UK leader, a day after Starmer’s closest aide, Morgan McSweeney, stepped down over Mandelson’s ties to the late US. sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.