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Labour MP Clive Lewis has expressed concerns that Sir Keir Starmer “doesn’t seem up to the job,” amidst growing discontent over the appointment of Peter Mandelson as an ambassador and the subsequent handling of his dismissal.
Mandelson was terminated from his role following scrutiny of his ties to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. While their association was reportedly known at the time of Mandelson’s appointment, Downing Street has stated that new details regarding their relationship emerged only this week.
Lewis, a prominent voice on the Labour left, stated on Radio 4’s Week in Westminster: “It feels that he [the prime minister] has lost control within the first year.”
In response, Minister Douglas Alexander asserted that the Prime Minister had “acted quickly” regarding Mandelson, and that the government was focused on “moving on.”
Lewis described the atmosphere among Labour MPs as “a very, very dangerous,” adding, “People are concerned, slightly downtrodden, a little bit browbeaten and feeling as if the party has seen better days.”
The MP for Norwich South further commented that the prospect of Reform UK leading in the polls “terrifies me, it terrifies my constituents and it terrifies a lot of people in this country… we don’t have the luxury of carrying on this way.”
Labour MP Paula Barker characterized Mandelson’s appointment as ambassador to the US as “an absolute betrayal” of Labour’s commitment to upholding high standards.
Speaking to BBC Radio 5 Live’s Matt Chorley, she stated: “My colleagues, who represent their constituents every single day, diligently, and stood up against welfare cuts, some of those were suspended for doing the right thing, for standing up for their constituents.
“Yet we have a man like Mandelson, who is just basically allowed to get away with this – I just think it’s absolutely disgusting, quite frankly.”
She emphasized the need for “significant changes… because we are failing our country.”
Scottish Secretary Douglas Alexander, speaking to BBC Breakfast, acknowledged the potential for “despondent” feelings among Labour MPs following a tumultuous week marked by Lord Mandelson’s dismissal and Angela Rayner’s resignation.
“These are not the headlines any of us in government or in Parliament would have chosen or wanted.”
Labour MPs have been voicing their dissatisfaction with the party leadership both privately and publicly, with some directing their criticism towards the prime minister’s chief of staff, Morgan McSweeney.
One government minister expressed concern, stating they were “starting to wonder how sustainable it is” for McSweeney to remain in his position.
Several senior Labour figures have alleged that McSweeney resisted the inevitable departure of Mandelson on Wednesday, with one insider describing “cold, hard fury” among those in Downing Street regarding the situation.
However, another senior No. 10 source disputed this, claiming that by Wednesday afternoon, McSweeney was firm in his belief that Mandelson’s position was untenable.
They also refuted the notion that he was behind the original appointment, stating that attributing the decision to a single individual was inaccurate.
A Labour MP told the BBC that “Panic has started to set in,” urging the prime minister to “get a grip” and suggesting that only publishing correspondence between No. 10, McSweeney, and Lord Mandelson before his appointment as ambassador would “put this to bed.”
When asked if Sir Keir Starmer had confidence in McSweeney, the PM’s spokesperson stated that “the prime minister has confidence in his top team and they are getting on with the important work of this government.”
Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper, speaking from Kyiv, later stated that the decision to dismiss Lord Mandelson had been “rightly taken.”
When questioned about the initial appointment and whether it reflected poorly on the prime minister’s judgment, she responded: “Well, as we set out yesterday, the decision was taken because new information came to light that wasn’t available at the time of the appointment.”
Conservative frontbencher Alex Burghart announced that his party would force a vote in Parliament to release the documents shown to the prime minister and the foreign secretary before the appointment of Lord Mandelson.
Liberal Democrat foreign affairs spokesperson Calum Miller stated that “to avoid further national embarrassment,” Mandelson’s successor should answer questions from the foreign affairs committee before their appointment is confirmed.
Dame Emily Thornberry, Chair of the committee, has written to the foreign secretary to inquire whether security concerns about Mandelson were raised during the appointment process and how the Foreign Office addressed those concerns.
Reform UK Leader Nigel Farage described Lord Mandelson as “an enormously talented bloke” but stated that his appointment “was a serious misjudgement from the prime minister.”
Lord Mandelson’s association with Epstein was publicly known when he was given the Washington job.
However, at the start of the week, US lawmakers published documents from Epstein’s estate including 2003 birthday messages from Mandelson in which he refers to Epstein as “my best pal”.
On Wednesday, Sir Keir said he had confidence in Lord Mandelson and insisted “due process” had been followed in his appointment.
But the following day he decided to sack his ambassador.
It came after a series of emails from Lord Mandelson to Epstein were published by the Sun and Bloomberg.
The emails included supportive messages Mandelson sent after Epstein had pleaded guilt to soliciting prostitution from a minor in June 2008.
In one message, Mandelson is reported to have told Epstein to “fight for early release” and, the day before began his sentence, “I think the world of you.”
The BBC has been told the information published on Wednesday evening was not available to those in government when Lord Mandelson was appointed, as they came from what has been described as a “long closed” email address.
James Roscoe, the deputy head of the Washington embassy, has been appointed as interim ambassador ahead of the US President’s state visit to the UK next week.
Additional reporting by political correspondents Nick Eardley and Georgia Roberts
You can listen to the full interview with Clive Lewis on BBC Radio 4’s The Week in Westminster at 1100 BST on Saturday 13 September and after that on BBC Sounds
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