Saif Ali Khan:
London:
This was a big, bold intervention from Anas Sarwar – to be the first leading Labour figure to call for the prime minister to go. He has done so out of frustration and anger. Anger at the prime minister’s handling of the Mandelson mess. He said on Thursday that the Labour peer should never have been considered for the job of UK ambassador to Washington. That was a pretty heavy criticism of Starmer albeit that he said at that time it could be possible for him to remain PM.
In a dramatic press conference, Sarwar said the situation in Downing Street was “not good enough” and that “too many mistakes” had been made at the top of government. However, just as Sarwar began to speak, a flurry of senior Labour ministers took to social media to express their support for the prime minister. Sir Keir continues fighting to shore up his position, after his judgement was questioned over the appointment of Peter Mandelson as UK ambassador to the US, despite his links to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. Energy Secretary Ed Miliband told BBC Breakfast the party had “looked over the precipice” on Monday but “thought the right thing to do was to support our leader”. Miliband – a former Labour leader – said Sir Keir had faced “a moment of peril” but that cabinet ministers had collectively “looked at the alternatives of going down this road of a chaotic leadership election, trying to depose a prime minister, and they said that’s not for us”.
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