PRIME MINISTER Keir Starmer said on Tuesday he would never walk away from his job to change Britain, rejecting calls from Labour figures, including the party’s leader in Scotland, for him to quit.
Starmer has come under pressure over his appointment of Peter Mandelson as ambassador to Washington, following renewed scrutiny of the Labour veteran’s close ties to the late US sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
Speaking during a visit to a community centre in southern England, Starmer said his focus was on delivering change and urged his party to direct its attention at Reform UK rather than internal divisions.
“I will never walk away from the mandate I was given to change this country,” Starmer told an audience. “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.”
Starmer said the real fight was with “the politics of Reform, the politics of divide, divide, divide, grievance, grievance, grievance that will tear our country apart”.
He received support late on Monday from his top team of ministers, potential leadership rivals, including former Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner, and many Labour lawmakers in parliament.
On Tuesday, Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham also said he backed Starmer.
“Yes, he has my support, the government has my support,” Burnham said after a speech to the Resolution Foundation think-tank.
“I think what we all need to do now is to drive the pace of change more quickly and that means greater unity across the whole family of the Labour movement.”
Revelations about the depth of Mandelson’s relationship with Epstein have created the biggest threat yet to Starmer.
Starmer has repeatedly said Mandelson had lied over his ties to the late sex offender.
Last month, the US Justice Department included emails suggesting Mandelson had leaked discussions on possible British asset sales and tax changes to Epstein during the financial crash.
Mandelson has not commented publicly on allegations he leaked documents and has not responded to messages seeking comment. He is now under police investigation for alleged misconduct in office.
