British Prime Minister Keir Starmer is grappling with one of the most turbulent moments of his tenure, as a cascade of high-profile resignations and mounting political pressure threaten to destabilize his leadership. The latest blow came on Monday, February 9, 2026, when Tim Allan, Starmer’s director of communications and a former adviser to Tony Blair, announced his resignation. Allan’s departure, after just five months in the role since his appointment in September 2025, marks the second major exit from Starmer’s inner circle in less than 24 hours.
Allan’s statement was succinct but telling: “I have decided to stand down to allow a new No 10 team to be built. I wish the PM and his team every success.” His exit follows that of Morgan McSweeney, Starmer’s chief of staff, who resigned on Sunday, February 8, 2026. McSweeney, a trusted adviser dating back to Starmer’s campaign for Labour leadership, took “full responsibility” for advising the prime minister to appoint Peter Mandelson as ambassador to the United States—a decision that has since ignited controversy and widespread criticism.
The root of the crisis lies in Starmer’s judgment over Mandelson’s appointment. Mandelson, a former Labour minister and peer, was named ambassador to Washington in early 2025 but was dismissed by Starmer after seven months. The dismissal came in September 2025, after documents surfaced revealing what appeared to be a close relationship between Mandelson and Jeffrey Epstein, the disgraced financier and convicted sex offender who died by suicide in his American prison cell. The revelations, which included Mandelson’s name appearing in files released by the US Justice Department, reignited public and political scrutiny of Starmer’s decision-making.
Starmer has since apologized for the appointment, telling his Downing Street staff on February 9, 2026, that he regretted his decision and had apologized to the victims. “The thing that makes me most angry is the undermining of the belief that politics can be a force for good and can change lives,” he said. He also paid tribute to McSweeney, calling him a “friend” and crediting him for helping to change the Labour Party and win the general election. “His dedication, his commitment and his loyalty to our party and our country was second to none,” Starmer remarked.
The prime minister’s efforts to steady the ship have been met with mixed results. On Monday, he asked his deputy chiefs of staff, Jill Cuthbertson and Vidhya Alakeson, to serve as joint acting chiefs of staff, filling the void left by McSweeney’s departure. Yet, the leadership turmoil has only amplified calls for Starmer’s own resignation, most notably from within his own party.
Anas Sarwar, the leader of the Scottish Labour Party, delivered a stinging rebuke in a Monday press conference, urging Starmer to step down. “The leadership in Downing Street has become a huge distraction,” Sarwar said, acknowledging “many achievements” under Labour but lamenting that voters “can’t hear them and can’t see them” due to the ongoing controversy. He added, “They promised they were going to be different, but too much has happened. Have there been good things? Of course, there have been many of them, but no one knows them and no one can hear them because they’re being drowned out—that’s why it cannot continue.”
Sarwar’s plea was not made lightly. He described his decision as “not easy and not without pain,” calling Starmer a “decent man” but insisting his “first loyalty” was to Scotland. With elections looming in Scotland in three months’ time, Sarwar said he needed to “decide what I’m willing to accept and what I’m willing to tolerate.” He made clear he was not backing any alternative candidate, stating, “I think it’s safe to say he and I disagreed.”
In response, Downing Street was quick to defend Starmer’s position. “Sir Keir has a clear five-year mandate from the British people to deliver change, and that is what he will do,” a No 10 spokesperson asserted. The prime minister’s official spokesman denied rumors of remorse or wavering, telling reporters, “He is getting on with the job of delivering change across the country.” Starmer himself addressed his staff, declaring, “We must prove that politics can be a force for good. I believe it can. I believe it is. We go forward from here. We go with confidence as we continue changing the country.”
Senior ministers quickly rallied around Starmer. Chancellor Rachel Reeves took to social media, stating, “With Keir as our Prime Minister we are turning the country around.” Scottish Secretary Douglas Alexander voiced support, saying, “Anas has reached his own decision and I respect that. The prime minister has recognised not just that lessons have to be learned but also that we change how we do government. He is right about that and has my support.” Deputy Prime Minister David Lammy added, “We should let nothing distract us from our mission to change Britain and we support the Prime Minister in doing that.”
Still, the opposition seized on the chaos. Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch called the resignation “yet another sign that Keir Starmer has lost control of his government,” telling broadcasters the prime minister is “in office but not in power” and “completely at the mercy of Labour MPs.” She argued, “His position now is untenable, because if he thinks that bad advice is enough for Morgan McSweeney to go, then, yes, I think that makes his position untenable.”
Criticism has also come from Labour’s own backbenches. Clive Lewis, MP for Norwich South, told BBC Radio 5 Live he didn’t believe McSweeney’s departure would “staunch the wound,” arguing, “It’s about the whole political culture Keir Starmer has ushered into his administration, which makes proximity to wealth and power the project.” Andy McDonald, another Labour MP, said Starmer must “convince the Parliamentary Labour Party he has got it,” warning, “If he doesn’t own the error he has made and recognise the problem in front of him and articulate it and tell us how he is going to deal with it, then I am afraid it is coming to end—if not today then certainly in the weeks and months ahead.”
The Mandelson affair continues to cast a long shadow. Last week, Mandelson quit both the Labour Party and the House of Lords, further distancing himself from the embattled government. The Foreign and Commonwealth Office is now reviewing an exit payment made to him after his dismissal as ambassador. Starmer, for his part, maintains he was lied to by Mandelson about the extent and nature of his relationship with Epstein. According to Baroness Smith of Malvern, “Keir Starmer was responsible for making that decision, which is why as soon as it became clear to him, that the extent and nature of Peter Mandelson’s relationship with Jeffrey Epstein was far greater and far more pernicious than anybody, in fact, had believed at the point at which he was appointed, he fired him.”
As the dust settles, Starmer is expected to address backbenchers at a meeting of the Parliamentary Labour Party, aiming to shore up support and outline a plan for reform. He has already tasked his team with strengthening the appointments process, including tightening up vetting and lobbying rules. Whether these measures will be enough to restore confidence in his leadership remains to be seen. For now, Starmer’s government finds itself at a crossroads, with its future hanging in the balance as both supporters and critics await the next move.