Ignoring calls to resign, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer says he will not step down from his mandate
London | 10 February 2026 | The Global Journal
Ignoring calls to resign, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said on Monday that he is “not prepared to step away” from his mandate as Prime Minister, as he seeks to strengthen support within his party amid the fallout from the Peter Mandelson scandal.
Speaking at a meeting with Labour Party lawmakers, he highlighted his previous roles and work within the party, saying, “I have won every fight I’ve ever been in.”
He cited his time at the Crown Prosecution Service and his efforts to reform the Labour Party as examples, saying, “People told me I couldn’t do it. Then gradually they said, maybe you might succeed. We won with a landslide majority. Every fight I’ve entered, I have won.”
He acknowledged that he continues to face criticism, saying, “At every step, I have had detractors, and I still do.”
He added, “These are detractors who do not want a Labour government at all, and certainly not one to succeed.”
“But I will tell you this: after having fought so hard for the opportunity to change our country, I am not prepared to walk away from my mandate or my responsibility to my country, or to plunge us into chaos as others have done,” he concluded.
Last week, Starmer said he was “sorry” for believing Mandelson’s lies and appointing him as ambassador to the United States, as pressure mounted after he admitted knowing about Mandelson’s ties to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, who died in 2019.
Mandelson was dismissed in September, but according to recently released Epstein files, he had shared confidential information with the offender while serving as British Business Secretary in 2009.
Mandelson has also stepped down from the House of Lords and the Labour Party itself.
Last month, the U.S. Department of Justice released over 3 million pages, 2,000 videos, and 180,000 images under the Epstein Files Transparency Act, which was enacted into law last November.
The released materials include photos, grand jury transcripts, and investigative records, though many pages remain heavily redacted. Epstein survivors and relatives of victims say that the release falls short of what the law requires and omits much critical information.
