Keir Starmer under pressure: UK PM to chair Labour Cabinet after Mandelson files expose party divisions

UK's Prime Minister Keir Starmer faces mounting pressure since the Mandelson controversy began ahead of local elections over recent Mandelson files released on Monday.

It comes as the documents shed light on "behind the scenes" or internal disagreements among senior Labour members, creating a challenging backdrop for Starmer's cabinet meeting.

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The more the documents are released, the more the peer pressure mounts on Starmer ahead of the most crucial political affair.

Now Starmer will preside over a Cabinet meeting today after messages released in connection with Lord Peter Mandelson's appointment as UK ambassador to the US exposed deep divisions within Labour.

Lord Peter Mandelson was sacked as UK ambassador to the US in September 2025 after leaked emails showed the peer had sent supportive messages to Jeffrey Epstein even as he faced jail for sex offenses.

MPs voted earlier this year to compel the release of documents relating to his period as ambassador.

In May 2025, in the aftermath of local election losses and the Runcorn by-election defeat, Mr McFadden said, "A lot of maneuvering here this week. Angela (Rayner), Gordon (Brown). Doesn't feel good for Keir."

He also complained that Labour MPs were "asking the wrong questions."

"Every meeting I have is 'who can we tax in order to pay benefits to others?'" he said.

Mr. McFadden, who held the position of senior minister in the Cabinet Office at the time, also acknowledged that Starmer's authority risked being undermined by a Labour rebellion over welfare reforms.

In June, shortly before the government buckled under pressure and handed a string of concessions to rebel MPs, he said, "I think it's very bad. Defeat, pull Bill or gut it all destroys his authority."

Precisely, Mr McFadden took up the role of work and pensions secretary, with responsibility for the welfare system, in September 2025.

Lord Mandelson was also scathing about Sir Keir's operation in his messages, claiming the Prime Minister "lacks verve" and that Chancellor Rachel Reeves was unable to set out where economic growth would come from.

In a message to McFadden in July 2025, he said referring downing street, "I went into No. 10 after I saw you. It is beleaguered and bereft. It requires a complete revamp and infusion of purpose and confidence to get anywhere."

During the same month, he told pensions minister Torsten Bell that the government "doesn't do policy, generally speaking, well enough. " Bell responded, "That is definitely true—everyone seems to think it's someone else's job to get the policy right... which is very odd."

Lord Mandelson fired back: "As the saying goes, rubbish in, rubbish out..."

The files reveal internal criticism among Labour figures, intensifying scrutiny of Starmer's leadership.

The disclosure also sparks fresh questions about party cohesion and leadership.