The prime minister’s authority in his own Labor Party has been battered through the fallout from the publication of files related to Epstein – a man he had never met and whose sexual misconduct did not involve Starmer.

Some lawmakers in Starmer’s centre-left Labor Party have called on him to resign over his appointment ruling. Peter Mandelson to a high-profile diplomatic post in 2024 despite his relationship with a convicted sex offender. The leader of the Labor Party in Scotland, Anas Sarwar, joined the calls on Monday, saying “there are many mistakes” and “the leadership in Downing Street needs to change.”

Starmer’s chief of staff and his communications director also quickly quit. But Starmer insisted he would not resign.

“Every fight I’ve been in, I’ve won,” he told Labor lawmakers at a meeting in Parliament.

“I am not ready to walk away from my mandate and my responsibility to my country,” he added.

After Sarwar spoke, senior colleagues – including those targeted as potential challengers – rallied to support Starmer. Deputy Prime Minister David Lammy wrote to X: “Nothing must distract us from our mission to transform Britain and we support the Prime Minister in doing that.”

Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper posted: “At this critical time for the world, we need his leadership not just at home but on the global stage.” Former Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner, a potential successor, said Starmer “has my full support.”

Supporting lawmakers said Starmer won over a raucous crowd when he addressed dozens of Labor members of Parliament Monday night behind closed doors.

“Of course, there are difficult moments,” said legislator Chris Curtis. “But he really went around the room.”

Starmer apologized

Starmer Mandelson was fired in September after emails were published showing she maintained a friendship with Epstein following the financier’s 2008 conviction for sex offenses involving a minor. Critics say Starmer should have known better than to appoint Mandelson in the first place. The 72-year-old Labor politician is a controversial figure whose career has been marred by scandals over money or ethics.

A new one trove of Epstein files released by US authorities last week revealed more details about the relationship and put new pressure on Starmer.

Starmer apologized last week to Epstein’s victims and said he regretted “believing Mandelson’s lies.”

He has promised to release documentation related to Mandelson’s appointment, which the government says will show Mandelson lied to officials about his relationship with Epstein. But publication of the documents could take weeks. They should be vetted by national security and for possible conflicts with police investigations.

police investigated Mandelson for potential misconduct in public office over documents suggesting he passed sensitive government information to Epstein a decade and a half ago. The offense carries a maximum penalty of life imprisonment.

Mandelson has not been arrested or charged, and he has not faced any allegations of sexual misconduct.

The chief of staff took the fall

Starmer’s chief of staff, Morgan McSweeney, took the fall for the decision to give Mandelson the job by quitting on Sunday. He said he “advised the prime minister to make that appointment, and I take full responsibility for that advice.”

McSweeney has been Starmer’s most important aide since he became Labor leader in 2020 and is considered a key architect of Labour’s. landslide July 2024 election victory. But some in the party have blamed him for a series of missteps since then.

Some Labor officials hope his departure will buy the prime minister time to rebuild confidence in the party and the country.

Senior lawmaker Emily Thornberry said McSweeney had become a “divisive figure” and his departure brought an opportunity for a reset.

He said Starmer “is a good leader because he is strong and clear. I think he needs to improve a little more than he has.”

Some say McSweeney’s departure has left Starmer vulnerable and alone.

The opposition called for him to resign

Opposition Conservative Party leader Kemi Badenoch said Starmer had “made bad decision after bad decision” and “his position is now untenable.”

Since winning office, Starmer has struggled to deliver the promised economic growth, well broken public service and easing the cost of living. He promised a return to honest government after 14 years of scandal-tarred Conservative rule, but has been plagued by missteps and U-turns on welfare cuts and other unpopular policies.

Labor has consistently lagged behind the hard-right Reform UK party in opinion polls, and the failure to make progress has fueled talk of a leadership challenge, even before the Mandelson revelations.

Under the British parliamentary system, prime ministers can change without the need for national elections. If Starmer is challenged or resigns, it will trigger a Labor leadership election. The winner will be the prime minister.

The Conservatives went through three prime ministers between the 2019 and 2024 national elections, including Liz Truss, who lasted just 49 days in office.

Starmer was elected on a promise to end the political chaos that has plagued the Conservatives’ last years in power.

Labor lawmaker Clive Efford said Starmer’s critics should “be careful what you wish for.”

“I don’t think people were into the prime ministerial changes when the Tories were in power,” he told the BBC. “It does them no good.”