UK's Battered Leader Avoids Becoming Ex-Leader

Keir Starmer fights another day. After indirect fallout from the Jeffrey Epstein files sparked a dramatic day of crisis that threatened to topple him, the UK prime minister was saved by a pugnacious fightback and hesitation among his rivals inside the governing Labour Party about the consequences of a leadership coup, per the AP. Energy Secretary Ed Miliband said Tuesday that Labour lawmakers had "looked over the precipice … and they didn't like what they saw." "And they thought the right thing was to unite behind Keir," Miliband told the BBC. He might have added: For now.

Starmer's authority over his center-left party has been battered by aftershocks from the publication of files related to Epstein—a man he never met and whose sexual misconduct hasn't implicated him. But it was Starmer's decision to appoint veteran Labour politician Peter Mandelson, a friend of Epstein, as UK ambassador to Washington in 2024 that has led many to question the leader's judgment and call for his resignation. Starmer has apologized, saying Mandelson had lied about the extent of his ties to the convicted sex offender. And he vowed to fight for his job. "I will never walk away from the mandate I was given to change this country," Starmer said Tuesday. "I will never walk away from the country that I love."

The Mandelson scandal adds to discontent that has built since Starmer led Labour to a landslide election victory 19 months ago. He has won praise for rallying international support for Ukraine and persuading President Trump to sign a trade deal easing tariffs on UK goods. But at home, he has struggled to bring down inflation, boost economic growth, and ease the cost of living. Despite a huge parliamentary majority that should allow the government easily to implement its plans, Starmer has been forced to make multiple U-turns on contentious policies including welfare cuts and mandatory digital ID cards. His respite is likely to be temporary. Many Labour lawmakers remain worried about their reelection chances if the party's dire opinion poll ratings don't improve. More here.