UK politics live: Starmer ‘not up to the job’ says Labour MP as PM faces furious backlash over Mandelson – UK Times

Sir Keir Starmer is “not up to the job” of Prime Minister, a backbench Labour MP has said.

Clive Lewis, MP for Norwich South, told the BBC’s The Week In Westminster programme: “You see a Labour Prime Minister who feels that he’s lost control within the first year.

“This isn’t navel-gazing. This is me thinking about my constituents, this country, and the fact that the person who is eight points ahead of us is Nigel Farage. That terrifies me. It terrifies my constituents, and it terrifies a lot of people in this country.

“We don’t have the luxury of carrying on this way with someone who I think increasingly, I’m sorry to say, just doesn’t seem up to the job.”

Mr Lewis is the first backbencher to call for the Prime Minister to go, adding there was “a very, very dangerous atmosphere in the PLP (Parliamentary Labour Party) at the moment” following a “deeply unpopular” Cabinet reshuffle.

He said: “People are concerned, slightly downtrodden, a little bit browbeaten and feeling as if the party has seen better days – it’s not a great atmosphere.”

Last week’s reshuffle has brought a “change in tone” on housing, industry sources said following a meeting with the new Housing Secretary.

Steve Reed, who replaced Angela Rayner as Housing Secretary following her resignation last week, issued what officials described as a “call to arms” at a meeting with developers on Thursday.

Pledging to “build, baby, build”, he said the Government was “doubling down on our plans to unleash one of the biggest eras of building in our country’s history and we are backing the builders all the way”.

One of those present at the meeting told the PA news agency they had detected a “definite change in tone”, with Mr Reed focusing on areas beyond planning reform, such as mortgage availability, Government support for home buyers and the costs faced by developers.

They told PA: “I think we are already seeing a broader look and engagement from that secretary of state level than maybe we did, which can only be positive, but clearly it’s very early days.”

Adding that officials had shown a different perspective under Mr Reed’s direction, they described the new Housing Secretary as “someone who is clearly a doer”.

Although the source said there was little discussion of policy at the meeting, they urged Mr Reed to continue engaging with industry and urge the Treasury to avoid imposing further costs on developers.

Tory leader Kemi Badenoch said the Prime Minister “should never have appointed” Lord Peter Mandelson, who has been sacked as ambassador to the US over his close relationship with paedophile financier Jeffrey Epstein.

Speaking to broadcasters in Cambridge, Mrs Badenoch said: “What this is showing is that he (Keir Starmer) had very bad judgment and he was only forced into sacking Peter Mandelson because I raised those questions at Prime Minister’s Questions on Wednesday and a lot of his backbenchers heard how bad it was and put pressure on him.

“It is unfortunate that this is now happening just before a state visit.

“We now don’t have an ambassador in place. All of that is Keir Starmer’s fault, not anyone else’s.”

The Liberal Democrats have called for Parliament to be given a role in vetting the next US Ambassador, following the sacking of Peter Mandelson over his links with Epstein.

The party has said this should include a hearing with the Foreign Affairs Committee, to properly scrutinise the next proposed Ambassador.

Liberal Democrat Foreign Affairs Spokesperson Calum Miller said: “The Prime Minister’s appointment of Mandelson was a clear error of judgment, a mistake that we cannot afford to let him repeat.

“With Trump in the White House, we need an ambassador who will stand up to the President, and represent British values.

“To avoid further national embarrassment for our country on the international stage, the Foreign Affairs Committee must now have a role in scrutinising Mandelson’s successor before they are appointed.”

Taoiseach Micheal Martin said “very good progress” has been made to reach an agreement with the UK on dealing with the legacy of the Northern Ireland Troubles.

Mr Martin made the comments after what he was described as a “very warm and constructive” meeting with Prime Minister Keir Starmer at Chequers on Friday morning.

“We discussed a broad range of matters, including the positive relations between our two countries and the extensive programme of bilateral co-operation under way between our two governments, including in preparation for the upcoming UK-Ireland summit, which will take place in Ireland in the spring,” he said.

“Very good progress has been made on legacy and the Prime Minister and I agreed that we are close to setting out a framework to address legacy issues, recognising its importance to victims and survivors, and to the wider community in Northern Ireland and across these islands.

“We discussed the catastrophic situation in Gaza – the need for a ceasefire, release of all hostages and a massive surge in humanitarian aid. We also committed to continue working together with the coalition of the willing to strengthen support for Ukraine and increase pressure on Russia to stop its war of aggression on the people of Ukraine.”

Tory leader Kemi Badenoch said the Prime Minister “should never have appointed” Lord Peter Mandelson, who has been sacked as ambassador to the US over his close relationship with paedophile financier Jeffrey Epstein.

Speaking to broadcasters in Cambridge, Mrs Badenoch said: “What this is showing is that he (Keir Starmer) had very bad judgment and he was only forced into sacking Peter Mandelson because I raised those questions at Prime Minister’s Questions on Wednesday and a lot of his backbenchers heard how bad it was and put pressure on him.

“It is unfortunate that this is now happening just before a state visit.

“We now don’t have an ambassador in place. All of that is Keir Starmer’s fault, not anyone else’s.”

Ireland would be “willing to play a role” in peace monitoring and peacekeeping in Ukraine, Taoiseach Micheal Martin has said.

Mr Martin said he had discussed potential support from Ireland to Ukraine during his meeting with Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer on Friday.

He said there were also other tasks such as demining that could contribute to the maintenance of a ceasefire.

“We’ve been part of many peacekeeping missions around the world where we’ve been effective – Chad, Lebanon, Kosovo – and so, therefore, I think it’s important that Ireland plays its role in terms of any potential peace or ceasefire [in Ukraine].

“At the moment, however, there is no sign that Russia is serious about cessation of the war.”

Mr Martin said he would work with EU colleagues to implement further sanctions on Russia.