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United Kingdom/Politics/UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer faces political crisis after election loss and arrest of ally
UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer faces political crisis after election loss and arrest of ally
Feb 28, 2026258 sources
person:starmerperson:epsteinperson:mandelsonorg:labourorg:greensorg:labour partytopic:appointmenttopic:resignation
Story Timeline
Feb 27, 2026Former UK ambassador Peter Mandelson and ex-prince Andrew arrested in Epstein probe189 sources
Feb 28, 2026UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer faces political crisis after election loss and arrest of ally258 sources
Summary
UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer's Labour Party lost a historically safe parliamentary seat in Manchester to the Green Party in a by-election. Starmer called the result 'very disappointing' but vowed to fight on. Some Labour figures described the defeat as 'bruising' and 'devastating'.
Around the same time, Lord Peter Mandelson, a former UK ambassador to the US and a political ally, was arrested by UK police in connection with the Jeffrey Epstein case. Mandelson was released on bail. Starmer said Mandelson had lied to him and that he regretted appointing him as an ambassador. Starmer said Mandelson should no longer be a member of the House of Lords.
The events have led to significant pressure on Starmer's leadership. Some Labour MPs have reportedly said his days as prime minister are 'numbered'. A top aide, Morgan McSweeney, resigned, taking responsibility for advising Starmer to appoint Mandelson. There are public calls from some union officials for Starmer to be replaced by his deputy, Angela Rayner.
