EPSTEIN SCANDAL: PM

Shaking in anger, PM must feel pressured

- BY DAVE BURKE

I'VE covered a lot of speeches by Keir Starmer, and this was the most angry I've seen him.

At one stage from the back of the room it appeared the usually calm PM was shaking in anger as he let rip about Peter Mandelson.

Starmer knows his future depends on distancing himself from the toxic peer.

But the fact his links to Epstein were no secret brings questions about the PM's judgment. Did he do a deal with the devil, I asked him, by appointing an ambassador despite knowing the danger?

Donald Trump was also implicated by association with Epstein, so maybe he felt there could be some advantage. That part of my question wasn't addressed.

But crucially there was an apology to Epstein's victims - for believing Mandelson's lies.

While the PM maintained he was in the dark all along, it is a tough sell for his critics.

The question is whether yesterday's comments go far enough, with talk of confidence votes and Labour MPs breaking ranks.

Even with polls looking more difficult and a string of missteps, his speech felt unusually tense.

There's a growing feeling the Mandelson scandal risks becoming a tipping point - meaning the stakes are higher than they've been since Labour came to power.

Has the PM done enough?