Blow for Keir Starmer as union boss calls for brand spanking new PM and Labour MP hits out at ‘boys membership’
Steve Wright, general secretary of the Fire Brigade Union (FBU) urged MPs to remove the Prime Minister – but Government minister Pat McFadden said this would lead to chaos
Keir Starmer was has been dealt a fresh blow after the head of a Labour-affiliated union called for him to be removed.
Steve Wright, general secretary of the Fire Brigades Union (FBU), urged MPs to remove the Prime Minister as anger grows over the Peter Mandelson scandal. But Labour frontbencher Pat McFadden insisted this would simply lead to more chaos as he attempted to calm rising tensions in his party.
Mr Wright told the BBC’s Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg: “I think there needs to be a leadership change, and I think MPs need to be calling for that and trigger it.”
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He continued: “I think everybody’s thinking it, and people are just not saying it at the moment.” Referring to reports that both Angela Rayner and David Lammy urged Mr Starmer not to appoint Mandelson, he said: “It seems that the Prime Minister isn’t taking advice from elected people within his own government.
“We’ve seen that he didn’t listen to the former deputy prime minister (Ms Rayner). He hasn’t listened to his current deputy prime minister (Mr Lammy). He’s listening to a factional group which are making bad decisions, it seems. And so I want to see the change that was promised and this country needs.”
On the same programme Labour backbencher Dr Rosena Allin-Khan hit out at a “boys club” who act with impunity inside No10, urging the PM to get rid of advisors. But she stopped short of calling for a leadership challenge.
She said: “I do believe he knew enough to make an informed decision to block the appointment of Peter Mandelson, which should have happened at the outset.
“But I think someone needs to take responsibility, and a lot of responsibility needs to lie with people who advise him. It is well known that there is a boys club in number ten of people who feel as though they can act with impunity.”
But she said: “I want us to be getting our heads down and getting on with the job, because if we do (get engrossed in a leadership scrap), all we allow is Reform to sneak in by the back door.
“And that is the last thing I want to see. Look, if there is a leadership challenge and that time comes I’ll happily have a discussion about it. Right now, I’m going to stay well clear of it.”
But Mr McFadden warned that changing Prime Minister – as happened frequently under the Tories – would be hugely damaging. He said: “I think the Prime Minister has acted in good faith through this. He’s never been involved with Jeffrey Epstein. This is all from a time before he was even an MP, let alone leader of the Labour Party or the Prime Minister. He’s horrified.”
And he brushed off demands for the PM to step aside, saying: “I believe he should stay. I think he’s got a five year mandate, which was just voted for 18 months or so ago in a general election.
“His task is by no means complete, it’s barely begun. And I also think it is not good for the country to change its Prime Minister every 18 months or two years. It’s leading to chaos and uncertainty economically, politically and reputationally around the world.
“So I know this has been a difficult week, but I think we should stick with the Prime Minister and support him. He admits he’s made a bad mistake here. He has apologised for it, and I’m sure he will learn from that going forward.”
