It now seems we are in the dying days of this Starmer government. Its been a dismal 18 months, with U-turn after U-turn, but the recent revelations about Keir Starmer’s apparent blindness over his incredibly high risk appointment of a known close chum of a convicted paedophile as Britain’s most senior diplomat is bringing all this to a head.
Recent revelations about how Downing Street has pushed through outcomes over proper scrutiny have merely served to hasten the journey to Mr and Mrs Starmer googling “removal companies” and packing up their belongings before moving out.
Given there are so few officials and staffers left for Starmer to throw under the nearest item of passing public transport, he will finally have to move on.
Of course, you would expect this from me, a Conservative politician. But this is what we hear from Labour ministers distancing themselves from the Starmer machine. It is what Labour MPs are saying privately. And the one thing holding them back? That they are fearful his replacement will be even worse.
The whole Mandelson affair truly beggars belief. Of course, it was a high-risk strategy to appoint this man. We all knew about his associations with Epstein. We all knew his lobbying company, Global Counsel, had clients in Russia and China. We all knew that he was sacked twice for busting the ministerial code. So how was it possible that the prime minister of this great country thought it OK to sack a high-flying diplomat – Karen Pierce – and replace her with Mandelson?
This scandal will not finish. The Prime Minister continues to say that “due process” was followed, but he sacks the people following that due process.
Nothing will change in the Labour leadership this side of the local elections in other parts of the country. No leadership challenger will want to be held responsible for what will be utterly dire results for Labour, including losing Wales for the first time in over a century.
But the sharks are circling. Angela Rayner is on manoeuvres, and rumours have it that Ed Milliband will be her chancellor. Meanwhile Andy Burnham is eyeing up a constituency that he can grab, so he can come and be leader. There has been a lot of economic damage to our country from this dismal government already. But the worse may be yet to come.
