"MPs said the eventual release of the documents which may be delayed by a police investigation into Mandelson could trigger a leadership challenge. We need all the poison to come out, one MP said. One former minister said: We've had a lot of bad days recently, but this is the worst yet, I think, while another MP warned: Trust is finite. I'm personally not sure I could trust myself to back the prime minister in a confidence vote."
"You could feel the atmosphere change; it was dark, one MP who had previously been close to Starmer said. No 10 said afterwards that the prime minister was only aware of what was already in the public domain. It's just indefensible, said one backbencher. They knew all about Peter's relationship with Epstein but gave him the job anyway. It's like Chris Pincher on steroids, they added, referring to the scandal that eventually brought down Boris Johnson."
Labour MPs warned that Keir Starmer's premiership is in jeopardy after Peter Mandelson was appointed US ambassador despite his friendship with Jeffrey Epstein. The Commons narrowly avoided defeat until an amendment by Meg Hillier and Angela Rayner forced the release of documents about Mandelson's appointment and the depth of his relationship with Epstein. The document release may be delayed by a police investigation. MPs said the documents could trigger a leadership challenge and that trust in the prime minister is eroding. Starmer's admission at Prime Minister's Questions that he had known of the friendship before the appointment intensified calls for accountability and resignations, including pressure on chief of staff Morgan McSweeney.
Read at www.theguardian.com
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