London: British Prime Minister Keir Starmer has been put on notice by Labour colleagues who want him to quit for the good of the government after the scandal over his appointment of a disgraced former minister as ambassador to the US.
In the first public revolt from within government ranks, a Labour MP called for a “timetable” to replace Starmer amid the furore over the decision to name Peter Mandelson as ambassador.
“I am completely fed up to the back teeth of this psychodrama in Westminster, the own goals that are coming from the heart of this government,” said backbencher Jonathan Brash.
“They just need to get a grip. I’m completely fed up about it.
“It’s got to the point now where I genuinely think that, you know, as far as the Prime Minister’s concerned, it’s not a case of if, it’s when.
“And I just think we need to get a handle on this because people out there are worried about their cost of living, they’re worried about their NHS, they’re worried about crime on their streets.
“And we’re completely consumed by this scandal, and it’s completely unacceptable.”
The remarks to GB News give public voice to Labour concerns that have been cited for months in anonymous comments to the media while Starmer has slumped in the polls.
Labour powerbrokers cannot agree on who should replace Starmer and their immediate challenge is to shore up support for the party at elections on May 7 for local councils and the parliaments of Scotland and Wales, pushing back a decision on the leadership.
But the public call from the backbench highlights the panic within Labor ranks about an election wipe-out that could topple the Labour government in Wales and sweep hundreds of Labour councillors out of their posts.
While Starmer and his ministers are not on the ballot on May 7, their opponents including Conservative Party leader Kemi Badenoch and Reform UK leader Nigel Farage are framing it as a plebiscite on the prime minister.
Starmer has admitted making mistake by appointing Mandelson in December 2024, and he removed the Labour insider from the post in September 2025 after further revelations of his close friendship with Jeffrey Epstein.
When news broke last week that Mandelson had failed security vetting before he took up the post, Starmer blamed public officials for not telling him this fact.
Starmer, who has removed a series of officials from his own office during almost two years of turbulent government, last week sacked the permanent head of the Foreign Office, Olly Robbins, over the vetting failure.
Robbins defended himself in parliament on Tuesday by saying he was subject to “pressure” from the prime minister’s office to make the appointment.
Even so, Robbins said he was right to confirm Mandelson’s security clearance despite the vetting advice. He did not say he was forced to clear Mandelson for the post, and he did not deny withholding the vetting advice from the prime minister and other ministers.
Robbins would not disclose the grounds for Mandelson failing the security vetting. Starmer has said he did not know the grounds. It is believed the grounds did not relate to the friendship with Epstein. Members of the House of Commons want the full report released.
Starmer and the Labour government do not face an election until 2029, given the five-year terms in the UK, but his colleagues are frightened for their futures when polls indicate they will lose their seats.
Brash won the seat of Hartlepool in 2024 by wresting it from the Conservatives.
Asked by GB News if Starmer should resign, Brash said “yeah” and added that the government needed to focus.
“We’re in a situation now where I don’t think anyone reasonably expects the prime minister to lead the party into the next election,” he said.
“And I think that we have to refocus this government on the priorities of the British people.”
When the host asked Brash why Starmer should go, Brash suggested the issue was political management.
“Because ultimately, we’ve become completely consumed by this turmoil at a time when that is not what the British public are focused on, he said.
“They are focused on their cost of living. They are focused on the NHS now. I think it’s a reasonable thing to set a timetable to get this done … in an orderly way because we have got a very, very big job ahead of us.”
Get a note directly from our foreign correspondents on what’s making headlines around the world. Sign up for our weekly What in the World newsletter.
David Crowe is Europe correspondent for The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age.Connect via X or email.
