British Prime Minister Keir Starmer could be forced to resign within a week, Bloomberg reported, citing sources from the ruling Labour Party.
The scandal surrounding the appointment of Peter Mandelson, a friend of convicted American financier and pedophile Jeffrey Epstein, as Britain's ambassador to the United States has sparked similar speculation. This scandal has already led to the resignation of the British Prime Minister's chief of staff, Morgan McSweeney, who announced his resignation on February 8.
According to Bloomberg, several MPs from the ruling Labour Party were surprised that Starmer was still in his post, despite having approved Mandelson's appointment. The agency reported that some staff at 10 Downing Street are secretly urging members of the government to persuade the prime minister to resign or even to leave the cabinet themselves to set an example. According to an adviser to one minister, the chances of Starmer remaining in his post next week are “50/50“.
The agency stressed that in order to keep his job, Starmer could offer his former deputy Angela Raynor a return to the government. She resigned last September amid a scandal related to unpaid stamp duty on a flat in southern England. He could also appoint Ed Miliband, the current secretary of energy security and carbon neutrality, to head a more difficult ministry, thus satisfying his ambitions. Both Raynor and Miliband have been mentioned as possible candidates for the post of prime minister if Starmer resigns.
Among other contenders, British media have also highlighted Health Secretary Wes Streeting, Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood, Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper and Defence Secretary John Healy and his deputy Alistair Carnes. Starmer's eventual resignation would not automatically trigger a new general election. Instead, Labour could hold a party vote to choose a new party leader to lead the government. This is exactly what the Conservatives did in 2022, after managing to change prime ministers twice in one year (Boris Johnson and Liz Truss).
Meanwhile, Sky News reported that Starmer will try to convince his party colleagues not to demand his resignation. He is expected to address the Labour Party in the House of Commons (the lower house of the British parliament) on February 9. The prime minister also plans to address female Labour MPs on February 11 amid the Epstein scandal. Starmer is also expected to address the nation on February 9, during which he will discuss the situation with Mandelson's appointment.
On February 3, Scotland Yard launched a criminal investigation into Mandelson, who is suspected of providing confidential information to the British government to Epstein. According to British media, Mandelson shared confidential information with him in 2009 about the Labour government's tax reform, and also revealed to him the planned EU aid program for southern European countries, which were hit hardest by the global financial crisis. On February 6, police searched two of Mandelson's homes.
Mandelson was appointed British ambassador to the United States in February 2025. He was removed from the post in September after new details of his friendship with Epstein came to light. Mandelson was long considered one of the most influential members of the Labour Party. He served in the House of Commons from 1992 to 2004 and as Secretary of State for Northern Ireland in Tony Blair's government (1999-2001). Mandelson then served as European Commissioner for Trade (2004-2008) and Secretary of State for Business and Trade in Gordon Brown's cabinet (2008-2010). In 2008, he was elected to the House of Lords (the upper house).
On 1 February 2026, Mandelson announced that he was leaving the Labour Party. On 3 February, he also resigned from the House of Lords. He retains his title of Lord, but the government has already announced the development of emergency legislation that would strip Mandelson of it, although it is granted for life.