(Feb 9): Keir Starmer pledged to press on with his agenda as the departure of a second senior aide in 24 hours left the UK prime minister’s grip on power appearing increasingly tenuous.
Starmer addressed staff at 10 Downing St on Monday in the wake of the resignation of his chief of staff, Morgan McSweeney, a key architect of the Labour Party’s landslide election win 18 months ago. McSweeney’s departure was followed by the resignation of communications director, Tim Allan.
In his remarks to staffers, Starmer praised McSweeney’s contribution to Labour’s political revival and signalled that he intended to fight on as prime minister.
“We must prove that politics can be a force for good. I believe it can. I believe it is,” Starmer said, according to a statement. “We go forward from here. We go with confidence as we continue changing the country.”
Starmer, who has been struggling with historically low approval ratings and facing rebellions by backbench Members of Parliament, has come under fire over his decision in late 2024 to appoint Labour grandee Peter Mandelson as ambassador to the US. That decision is being reexamined after the extent of Mandelson’s relationship with Jeffrey Epstein was revealed in files released by the US Justice Department.
While McSweeney took the blame for the appointment in his resignation statement, the decision ultimately rested with Starmer. The criticism has fuelled questions about Starmer’s ability to hang on as prime minister.
The departure of Allan, who only took the role as communications director in September, will feed the sense of confusion surrounding No 10. McSweeney and Allan had been locked in a power struggle and aides risked descending into open infighting, according to people familiar with the matter.
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“I have decided to stand down to allow a new No 10 team to be built,” Allan said in a statement on Monday morning. “I wish the PM and his team every success.
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