Going, going....

You know it, I know it, we all know it. Sir Keir Starmer is in desperate straits battling to save his premiership after an extraordinary Westminster meltdown over his decision to appoint Lord Peter Mandelson as UK ambassador to the United States. We now know that he did that in the full knowledge of the New Labour grandee’s long‑standing links to Jeffrey Epstein.

Starmer has now issued a fulsome public apology, admitting he believed what he now calls Mandelson’s “lies” about the extent of his friendship with the convicted paedophile. Starmer insists he did not understand the “depth and darkness” of their relationship when he handed him the prestigious Washington posting.​ And if you believe that, I have a bridge in the desert I want to see you.

Starmer’s sudden contrition follows a brutal day in the Commons, where he was forced into a humiliating U‑turn under pressure from his own MPs. Having initially tried to block the release of vetting documents on national security grounds, No 10 abandoned that stance when Labour backbenchers rebelled. Amongst them was former deputy leader Angela Rayner who threatened to back a Tory motion demanding disclosure. The papers will now be sifted by the cross‑party Intelligence and Security Committee, whose chair has warned that mere political “embarrassment” will not be a good enough reason to keep anything secret.​ That noise you hear? It’s a noose tightening.

Earlier on today at a hastily arranged event in Hastings, Starmer desperately tried to reframe the crisis as a test of his commitment to victims and standards in public life. The sheer hubris of this man who lest we forget when he was DPP chose not to prosecute Jimmy Saville. He apologised directly to Epstein’s victims, saying he was “sorry for having believed Mandelson’s lies and appointed him” and vowing that his government “will not look away” or allow the powerful to treat justice as optional. He also blamed delays in publishing some documents on police advice that premature release could prejudice possible investigations.​ So everyone is to blame but our Keir.

However within Labour, talk has already shifted to succession and blame. Senior MPs openly say the “clock is ticking” on Starmer’s leadership, with one former cabinet minister suggesting his time in power may now be nearing its end. Fingers are being pointed at Morgan McSweeney, the Prime Minister’s influential chief strategist. Some say he has disastrously misjudged both Mandelson’s appointment and the government’s initial stonewalling. Starmer, however, has signalled that his fate is bound up with McSweeney’s and has publicly insisted he retains full confidence in his aide.​ So they will swing together.

Of course potential challengers face their own obstacles. Angela Rayner remains hugely popular on Labour benches but is still dogged by her unresolved tax questions; Health Secretary Wes Streeting is viewed as being on manoeuvres but has his own past closeness to Mandelson to contend with. Greater Manchester mayor Andy Burnham lacks a Westminster seat, while other names such as former leader Ed Miliband are silent.

For now, there are no mass resignations and no obvious unity candidate – but many in Parliament believe Starmer has been irreparably weakened by a scandal some are already calling the most explosive in British politics for a generation.