Overview
- Downing Street communications chief Tim Allan resigned, a day after chief of staff Morgan McSweeney quit while taking responsibility for advising Peter Mandelson’s appointment as U.S. ambassador.
- Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar called for Keir Starmer to resign, but No.10 said the prime minister will not step down and senior ministers publicly backed him.
- Starmer told staff, “We must prove that politics can be a force for good,” and later told Labour MPs he would not “walk away” as he works to steady his government.
- Files released by the U.S. Justice Department included emails suggesting Mandelson shared sensitive government information with Jeffrey Epstein, and the Metropolitan Police are investigating alleged misconduct in public office after searching Mandelson-linked properties.
- The Intelligence and Security Committee will review tens of thousands of documents on Mandelson’s vetting with some withheld at police request, and Labour’s rules require 81 MPs to initiate a leadership challenge.