There were also warnings from polling guru Professor Sir John Curtice, who claimed the Peter Mandelson’s scandal could be Labour’s ‘partygate’, which helped bring down Boris Johnson
Lord Blunkett has urged Keir Starmer to ‘get your act together’ as the Peter Mandelson scandal threatened to engulf the government.
Police raided two of Lord Mandelson’s homes on Friday as part of an investigation into allegations he leaked sensitive information to paedophile Jeffrey Epstein. The alleged leak took place during Gordon Brown’s Government, who yesterday (SAT) praised the PM as a “man of integrity”, but admitted Mr Starmer had been “too slow to do the right things” over the crisis.
There were also warnings from polling guru Professor Sir John Curtice, who claimed the scandal could be Labour’s “partygate”, the controversy which helped end Boris Johnson’s tenure. Lord Blunkett, a former Home Secretary, told the Mirror: “The only way to avoid a challenge to the leadership is to “get your act together”; demonstrate success and start winning people back to the vital cause of seeing off the far-right and delivering improvement to the people we care for.”
READ MORE: Peter Mandelson visited by top lawyer who cleared controversial ToryREAD MORE: Gordon Brown says Keir Starmer was ‘too slow’ to act over Mandelson scandal
Further warnings came from the Unions, with a senior union figure adding: “He needs to turn it around and fast. Or he’s done.” However the source added potential rivals like Angela Rayner, Wes Streeting and Andy Burnham are “untested” on policy ideas.
Speaking on Saturday morning, Mr Brown described the situation facing the PM as “serious”, but insisted speculation over his future was just part of the job. He told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme: “It happened to me, it happened to Tony Blair.
“It happens to everybody about how their future should be gauged. But this is serious, and the task is very clear. The task is we’ve got to clean up the system, a total clean-up of the system, an end to the corruption and unethical behaviour.”
There were also warnings from polling guru Professor Sir John Curtice who claimed the scandal could be Labour’s “partygate”, which helped end Boris Johnson’s tenure. He told The Mirror: “We haven’t forgotten Partygate. And we haven’t forgotten the Liz Truss fiscal event. The problem is that it’s going to enter the lexicon, or could well enter the lexicon.
“One of the challenges for certainly Starmer personally but also in the risk for the Labour Party more generally is that it tarnishes the brand in a long-term sense.”
A Government spokesman said action was already being taken to clean up Westminster: “Most people who enter public life do so with a strong sense of duty and to make a difference to people’s lives.
“But the shameful and disgraceful behaviour revealed this week is wholly incompatible with public service, and it is right that no one is above accountability.
“We have already strengthened the ministerial code, giving the independent adviser greater powers to launch investigations, introduced a new monthly register of gifts and hospitality, established a new ethics commission, and ensured that ministers who break the rules cannot receive severance payments.
“But Gordon Brown is right that further action is needed in light of what has emerged this week – and we have already begun urgent work on how we can do more.”
This week the PM hosted a group of MPs at his Chequers retreat to try and calm nerves amid rising anger among the parliamentary Labour party.
Speaking to MPs, he admitted “the last couple of days have been really tough”, and told them he was just as “angry and frustrated” as they were. He added: “We must not lose what brought us here, which is the politics of service and making a difference. Because that behaviour (of Peter Mandelson) challenges what we stand for and that is corrosive and a challenge. We must rise to that challenge.”
Scotland Yard said inquiries were ongoing following allegations that Lord Mandelson sent market-sensitive information to the paedophile financier while he was business secretary in Mr Brown’s government during the financial crisis.
However, many MPs remain unconvinced. One Labour backbencher predicted the row over Lord Mandelson was a “slower burner but will be the straw that breaks the camel’s back”. They said the passing of potentially thousands of documents to the Intelligence and Security Committee (ISC)is “only delaying the inevitable”.
The MP told The Mirror: “He [the PM] knew even without vetting, Mandelson maintained a relationship [with Epstein] after he was convicted. That should have been enough. They didn’t need more information to come forward. It’s Boris gov 2.0 on digging themselves a deeper hole and not reading the room I’m afraid.”
Another MP told The Mirror: “It’s f***ing over, it was before, but it was less over. Things have shifted for colleagues in the last 36 hours.” Others were more kind about the PM, but suggested Mr McSweeney’s position was untenable.
Asked what they thought of the PM’s presser, a Labour MP from the 2024 intake said: “It doesn’t change anything. If we are hammered in Gorton and Denton, then it’ll be it (for Starmer). If we come third, it’ll be it. I can’t believe I’m saying that.”
One influential MP insisted the majority of Labour MPs recognised it was a mistake, but had no appetite for a leadership challenge.
They said: “There are people who will sign any letter to be unhelpful, and at any given moment call for a leadership change. There was talk before of a change in January, and nobody made a move. Having spoken to people yesterday, when they’ve had a day or night to sleep on it, while people still think it’s a mistake, which the PM agrees with, they still think it would be bizarre to have a leadership challenge anytime in the near future.
“We were elected two years ago, for all people’s understandable frustration with this week, I think people still don’t want a leadership race. The people who shout the loudest are the ones who say they want change, but the majority of people, who might not speak to journalists, are cracking on with their work, and recognise mistakes happen.
“If someone were to go over the top, I think they would find the silent majority would not be with them on any kind of challenge.”
Another MP from the 2024 intake said it felt like the government was beginning to turn things around the beginning of the year.
They added: “People on the doorstep – without being prompted – that they were pleased with how he stood up to Donald Trump on Greenland. But now we seem to be back where we started.”
But a third MP said they understood the Prime Minister’s frustration after his speech designed to bang the drum for the government’s Pride in Place scheme – funding for deprived areas – was overshadowed by the Mandelson scandal.
They told The Mirror: “If you look at what he said in his speech, he showed us him at his best. He was talking about cohesion and standing up against division. He really does care about that.”