Sir Keir Starmer visited submariners in Scotland and avoided the campaign trail as he faces a crunch week with yet more questions about Peter Mandelson‘s appointment.
The Prime Minister met the submariners as they returned to their base on the Clyde from the longest patrol conducted by one of the Royal Navy’s nuclear-armed vessels.
Sir Keir boarded a Vanguard-class submarine as it arrived at the Faslane naval base on Saturday, thanking the crew who had spent more than 205 days at sea.
He did not undertake any political visits while north of the border and did not join colleagues campaigning for the Scottish Parliament elections just weeks away.
It comes as Sir Keir faces yet another difficult week following revelations about Mandelson’s security vetting.
The embattled Prime Minister insisted he was unaware until Tuesday that the New Labour grandee had been appointed to Washington last year despite failing his vetting.
Yesterday, Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch said he was unfit to run the country and had ‘lost the moral right to govern’, as she led calls for his resignation.
Possible leadership challengers Andy Burnham and Angela Rayner were also seen having secret late-night talks in Manchester, fuelling more speculation about Starmer’s future.
Sir Keir Starmer met the submariners as they returned to their base on the Clyde from the longest patrol conducted by one of the Royal Navy’s nuclear-armed vessels
The Prime Minister boarded a Vanguard-class submarine as it arrived at the Faslane naval base on Saturday
Defence Secretary John Healey joined the Prime Minister for the event at Faslane.
Sir Keir said: ‘As we face an increasingly volatile world, our nuclear deterrent is more important than ever.
‘It was a privilege to be able to meet and thank those who are making sacrifices to protect our country every single day.’
Mr Healey also praised the dedication of the submariners, posting online: ‘They and their families make huge sacrifices to protect us all and our UK nuclear deterrent is more important now than ever.
‘They are the very best of Britain.’
Photos released by Downing Street showed the Prime Minister boarding the submarine and speaking to the personnel on board.
At more than 205 days, the crew of the submarine are understood to have taken part in the longest patrol for a nuclear deterrent submarine – spending months submerged with little contact with the outside world.
The UK’s four Vanguard-class submarines can carry Trident nuclear missiles and at least one of the vessels is out on patrol at sea constantly.
They are due to be replaced by four new Dreadnought-class submarines, the first of which is expected to enter service in the 2030s.
The Ministry of Defence said ‘significant programmes’ are under way to renew the UK’s nuclear deterrent and rigorous safety checks are carried out before any patrols.
The ministry said it did not comment on the length of submarine patrols.
Submariners receive additional payments when patrols are extended.
Sir Keir thanked the crew who had spent more than 205 days at sea on patrol
While Sir Keir was at sea, he avoided the campaign trail where he faces growing questions over the Peter Mandelson scandal
While the Prime Minister met with the submariners, he was notably absent from the campaign trail ahead of what could be painful local election results next month.
He also did not join the campaign trail for Scottish Labour ahead of the Scottish Parliament elections, which also take place in a matter of weeks.
Despite being just 40 miles away, Sir Keir did not meet with Scottish Labour leader Anas Sawar, who told the Scottish Mail on Sunday he’s not even spoken to Sir Keir for more than two months and reiterated his calls for the UK leader to quit.
Sir Keir not only avoided Mr Sarwar but also the waiting press when he visited the Faslane Naval Base to greet submariners returning after a lengthy period at sea.
Mr Sarwar, who was campaigning in Airdrie with local candidate Suzanne MacLeod just 40 miles from Faslane, said: ‘The last time I directly spoke to [Starmer] was a few days after I made the call for him to resign.’
He said that while it was ‘appropriate’ for the Prime Minister to carry out his ‘defence-related visit’ in Scotland, he added: ‘He’s got a prime ministerial diary, I’ve got a campaign diary.’
The rift between the two men first began in February when Sarwar publicly called for Sir Keir to quit over the Mandelson scandal.
The Scottish Labour leader said the latest iteration of the debacle – which has seen the top civil servant Olly Robbins sacked – ‘demonstrates why I said what I said in February.’
He said: ‘I stand by that. I don’t recoil from that…Many of the issues that people are talking about now were the tipping point for me, in terms of being willing to defend the indefensible.’
Scottish Conservative leader Russell Findlay hit out at the Prime Minister for not meeting Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar during his time in Scotland.
Mr Findlay said: ‘It seems that Keir Starmer is skulking around a top-secret high-security submarine base unable to face the public, unable to even look Anas Sarwar in the eyes.’
He continued: ‘No wonder Anas Sarwar wants nothing to do with him.
‘The guy shouldn’t be in Downing Street and he’s a complete and utter disgrace.’
Downing Street was tight-lipped about the Prime Minister’s visit to Faslane, with aides claiming they were unable to give details about the trip’s purpose or allow questions to be put to Sir Keir on ‘security grounds’ this morning.
They failed to respond when asked if the PM was avoiding his Scottish colleagues, and if he had simply given up on the election campaign north of the border.
Sir Keir spent almost three hours at the most secure military establishment in Scotland, with his cavalcade of six Range Rovers and Fords sweeping into into the base at 12.20pm. He remained there until just after 3pm.
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and Defence Secretary John Healey waving to submariners as they depart at HM Naval Base Clyde
Sir Keir spent almost three hours at the most secure military establishment in Scotland
The Prime Minister is likely to face more questions when he returns to London over his handling of Peter Mandelson’s appointment.
On Friday night, it was revealed that others in Downing Street knew well before the Prime Minister, questioning his grip on the ever-evolving scandal that has now raged for more than seven months.
It was suggested that up to a dozen officials and lawyers were aware of the vetting failure, but not the PM, who repeatedly insisted everything was done by the book.
There were further questions for No 10 after it was told by The Mail on Sunday as far back as September that Mandelson had failed his security clearance test, only for the suggestion to be denied.
Tory leader Kemi Badenoch has led calls for the Prime Minister to resign
‘That this is a national disgrace, the buck stops with him and the only decent response is to resign.’
She added: ‘Keir Starmer claims to be furious with officials. It is us who should be furious with him … While he protects himself, decisions are delayed and problems fester.
‘Starmer has misled Parliament over Mandelson, misled the country and is taking the public for fools. This is not just a political failure. It is a moral one: He has put our national security at risk, he has lost the right to govern, he should resign.’
Senior Tory MP Alex Burghart said: ‘This is yet more evidence that Keir Starmer’s Government is a shambles.
‘If it’s really true Starmer didn’t know about Mandelson’s vetting failures when senior officials had the truth, it confirms the PM is in office but not in power.
‘Either everyone is lying, or this is the most shambolic government in history – or both. It’s time for Starmer to go.’
Sir Keir ignored a question about whether he would resign, but faces a perilous week.
He must give his account of the saga to the Commons on Monday, while Sir Olly has been summoned before MPs on the foreign affairs committee the following day.
Meanwhile, Greater Manchester mayor Mr Burnham was seen leaving Anglea Rayner’s constituency home in the city late on Friday, fuelling speculation about a possible leadership challenge.
Ms Rayner is seen as a leading candidate to run for the leadership if Sir Keir is challenged in the wake of a poor showing in the May 7 local elections.
This is despite the fact that she is still awaiting the results of an official HMRC probe into the tax she paid when buying an £800,000 holiday home 250 miles from her constituency last year.
And Mr Burnham has made little secret of his desire for the top job, having seen one attempt to return to Westminster thwarted by Sir Keir already this year, when he was blocked from running in the Gorton and Denton by-election.
Because he is not an MP he has no realistic chance of being in the frame if there is a challenge next month, but his backing for Ms Rayner would carry a lot of weight in Labour circles.
Their pow-wow at Mr Rayner’s home in her Ashton-under-Lyne seat came five days after they appeared alongside Sir Keir on a visit to Greater Manchester, sharing a joke as they sat with schoolchildren.
Some MPs have played down the chances of a leadership move against Sir Keir, believing it would look bad after just two years in power, especially while Trump’s war with Iran is hammering consumers.
Last week Ms Rayner was said to have cooled on her plan to move against her former boss, instead focusing on helping the local election campaign.
But the Mandelson scandal could push more to the edge.