NEW<\/span>You can now listen to Fox News articles!\n <\/p>\n<\/div>\n British Prime Minister Keir Starmer is facing one of the most serious crises<\/a> of his premiership after a cascade of resignations, renewed scrutiny over his decision to appoint Peter Mandelson as Britain\u2019s ambassador to Washington and mounting unrest inside the ruling Labor Party ahead of a critical meeting of members of Parliament Monday evening.<\/p>\n On Monday, Scottish Labor leader Anas Sarwar became the most senior party figure to call for Starmer\u2019s resignation, saying “the distraction needs to end and the leadership in Downing Street has to change,” according to the Associated Press. His intervention piles fresh pressure on the prime minister.<\/p>\n At the center of the crisis are newly publicized materials detailing<\/a> Mandelson\u2019s links to Jeffrey Epstein<\/a>, revelations that have reshaped the political stakes and triggered questions about vetting at the highest levels of government. Documents cited by Fox News Digital report Mandelson maintained contact with Epstein after his 2008 conviction, and that Epstein transferred about $75,000 in 2003 and 2004 to accounts connected to Mandelson or his husband.<\/p>\n KEIR STARMER\u2019S CHIEF OF STAFF RESIGNS AFTER RECOMMENDING EPSTEIN-CONNECTED AMBASSADOR<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n Morgan McSweeney, Starmer\u2019s chief of staff and one of the most influential figures inside Downing Street, stepped down on Sunday after acknowledging his role in recommending Mandelson for the diplomatic post<\/a>. In a resignation statement obtained by The Guardian, McSweeney said the decision was “wrong” and he accepted responsibility, calling his departure the “only honorable course.”<\/p>\n British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, right, talks with Britain\u2019s ambassador to the United States, Peter Mandelson, during a welcome reception at the ambassador\u2019s residence in Washington, on Feb. 26, 2025.<\/span> (Carl Court\/Pool Photo via AP)<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n The pressure intensified hours later when Tim Allan, the prime minister\u2019s director of communications, also resigned, according to GB News<\/a>. Allan, a veteran New Labor strategist, became the second senior aide to exit as the political fallout deepened.<\/p>\n Dr. John Hemmings, director of the National Security Center at the Henry Jackson Society, told Fox News Digital the prime minister is now under escalating political pressure and that “it\u2019s unclear as to whether he\u2019ll survive.”<\/p>\n “Prime Minister Starmer is coming under ever-increasing political pressure to resign here in London in the wake of the scandal around Lord Mandelson \u2014 his appointed ambassador to the United States \u2014 and his connection to Jeffrey Epstein. He has lost two close aides and is under attack for his China foreign policy. The Chagos Deal is under scrutiny and his trip to Beijing was largely viewed as devoid of real results,” Hemmings said.<\/p>\n Alan Mendoza, executive director of the Henry Jackson Society, added: “It is extraordinary to be in a situation where a prime minister who won a landslide general election victory only 20 months ago is now on the verge of being forced to resign. We are here as a result of a series of policy U-turns and bad judgment calls culminating in the Lord Mandelson debacle. His fate is now ultimately in the hands of the Parliamentary Labor Party tonight. If he feels he no longer has their confidence, then there is every chance that this will be the end of Keir Starmer.”<\/p>\n STARMER CALLS ON EX-PRINCE ANDREW TO TESTIFY BEFORE CONGRESS AFTER LATEST EPSTEIN RELEASE<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n Peter Mandelson speaks during a welcome reception for British Prime Minister, Keir Starmer, at the ambassador’s residence on Feb. 26, 2025, in Washington, D.C.<\/span> (Carl Court\/Pool via Reuters)<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n Starmer has sought to contain the damage, saying he regrets the appointment. In remarks reported by GB News on Monday, the prime minister said: “I have been absolutely clear that I regret the decision that I made to appoint Peter Mandelson. And I\u2019ve apologized to the victims, which is the right thing to do.” He added that scandals of this kind risk undermining public faith in politics.<\/p>\n The prime minister now faces a showdown with Labor lawmakers, with backbench MPs expected to challenge his leadership at a party meeting Monday evening U.K. time. A senior Labor MP told GB News the “clock is ticking” and called for decisive action to “cleanse politics.”<\/p>\n Downing Street has insisted Starmer will not resign despite the double departure. A spokesperson told journalists that the prime minister is “getting on with the job in hand and delivering change across the country,” and he remains “upbeat and confident,” and retains Cabinet support.<\/p>\n CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n Peter Mandelson sits with Jeffrey Epstein as he blows out the candles on a cake, in an undated photograph released by the U.S. Justice Department on Dec. 19, 2025, as part of a trove of documents from its investigations into Epstein.<\/span> (U.S. Justice Department\/Handout via Reuters)<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n The political damage, however, extends beyond staffing turmoil. Mandelson was withdrawn from the ambassador role after additional details about his relationship<\/a> with Epstein emerged, and he resigned from the Labor Party earlier this month, leaving Starmer confronting what experts describe as the most acute test of his leadership since taking office.<\/p>\n Fox News Digital’s Ashley Carnahan and The Associated Press contributed to this report.\u00a0<\/i><\/p>\n <\/p>\n![\"Britain\u2019s](\"https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/1200\/675\/keir-starmer-peter-mandelson.jpg?ve=1&tl=1\")
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