Former Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner has told friends she is “ready” to launch a Labour leadership campaign, as pressure intensifies on Sir Keir Starmer following the Peter Mandelson ambassadorial scandal.
According to the Daily Mail, Rayner told an MP after Wednesday’s Commons vote: “I will be ready.”
Sir Keir issued an apology yesterday, saying he was “utterly disgusted” and “sorry” over revelations about Mandelson’s relationship with Jeffrey Epstein, but insisted he would “go on”.
Labour anger is now increasingly focused on Starmer’s chief of staff, Morgan McSweeney. One insider told the paper: “Starmer without McSweeney is like a glove puppet without a hand.”
Several Labour MPs have called for resignations, including York MP Rachael Maskell, who said it is inevitable that the PM is going to have to step down.
Liverpool West Derby MP Ian Byrne urged the Prime Minister to “reflect on his position”, while MP Paula Barker told the BBC: “As we know only too well... when your chief of staff becomes the story, then often it's time for them to go.”
A spokesperson for Ms Rayner disputed the claims, telling the Daily Mail: “We do not recognise these claims”.