Defiant Keir Starmer vows to struggle on as No10 says he is not going to resign

Keir Starmer told No10 staff today ‘we go forward from here’ after two of his top advisers quit less than 24 hours apart amid the fallout from the Peter Mandelson scandal

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Keir Starmer will not resign as Prime Minister following days of turmoil at the top of the government and the resignation of two top aides.

The Prime Minister’s official spokesman said he was focused on the “job in hand” – just minutes after his director of communications, Tim Allan, quit. On Sunday, Morgan McSweeney, Mr Starmer’s chief-of-staff and senior adviser since he first became Labour leader back in 2020, also resigned his post.

Asked directly today whether the PM is going to resign, the spokesman replied: “No.” Instead they said Mr Starmer was “upbeat” and “confident” in an address to Downing Street staff on Monday morning.

Mr Starmer told his team: “The thing that makes me most angry is the undermining of the belief that politics can be a force for good and can change lives. I have been absolutely clear that I regret the decision that I made to appoint Peter Mandelson. And I’ve apologised to the victims which is the right thing to do.”

READ MORE: No10 rocked as ANOTHER Keir Starmer aide quits 24 hours after Morgan McSweeneyREAD MORE: What’s next for Keir Starmer in make-or-break week after top aide’s dramatic exit

He also made clear he had no intention of quitting, telling advisers: “We must prove that politics can be a force for good. I believe it can. I believe it is. We go forward from here. We go with confidence as we continue changing the country.”

It comes after days of chaos at the heart of the government over last year’s decision to appoint Peter Mandelson as the UK’s ambassador in Washington – despite his friendship with the paedophile Jeffrey Epstein.

Police raided two of Mandelson’s homes last week as part of an investigation into allegations he leaked sensitive information to the financier while he was Business Secretary in Gordon Brown ’s Government.

In his address to No10 staff today, the PM also paid tribute to his former right-hand-man Mr McSweeney, saying: “I’ve known Morgan for eight years as a colleague and as a friend.

“We have run up and down every political football pitch that is across the country. We’ve been in every battle that we needed to be in together. Fighting that battle. We changed the Labour Party together. We won a general election together. And none of that would have been possible without Morgan McSweeney.

“His dedication, his commitment and his loyalty to our party and our country was second to none. And I want to thank him for his service.”

It is understood Mr Starmer’s comments came before the announcement his director of communications, Mr Allan, had also resigned his role. Spin doctor Tim Allan was only appointed to the role in September 2025 following the resignation of James Lyons. The former Tony Blair advisor is the fourth holder of the post to leave since Mr Starmer became PM.

In a surprise statement on Monday morning, Mr Allan said: “I have decided to stand down to allow a new No10 team to be built. I wish the PM and his team every success.”