Keir Starmer received cheers and applause during a private meeting with his MPs and peers on Monday night. Fighting to secure his position over 75 minutes, Starmer delivered what one supportive MP described as “the most passionate speech” of his tenure, answered 44 questions, and apologized for the party’s setbacks. He was heartfelt and sincere, winning over the audience.
However, POLITICO spoke with over 25 ministers, MPs, and officials who, granted anonymity to speak candidly, indicated that the danger isn’t over. One frontbencher said the speech “bought him time but [is] still terminal.” A minister mentioned it didn’t prevent a challenge after local, Scottish, and Welsh elections on May 7. A once-loyal MP said, “Nothing fundamental changed tonight … He is in office but not in charge, and it’s not sustainable.”
This drama and uncertainty are unusual for a prime minister who won a landslide election just 19 months ago, reminding some MPs of the turbulent end of Boris Johnson’s time in office. Like Johnson, Starmer is dealing with numerous controversies, exacerbated by a scandal that has angered his MPs.
“I had four Labour MPs contacting me over the weekend, uncertain about their next moves,” remarked one shadow Cabinet minister. Another former Johnson government veteran, passing the Monday night meeting, muttered: “Terrible flashbacks.” Starmer hopes to avoid a similar fate.
Doom looms as fresh turmoil for Starmer started on February 2, when messages involving Mandelson surfaced from the U.S. Department of Justice as part of broader Epstein files. Emails showed Mandelson received five-figure payments from Epstein between 2003 and 2004 and leaked sensitive No. 10 financial details to Epstein in 2009. Police are now investigating Mandelson for potential crimes related to these disclosures.
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