Starmer in appeal to Labour MPs as pressure grows for No 10 reset

Downing Street refuses to sack chief of staff over Mandelson appointment

- Peter Walker Kiran Stacey Jessica Elgot

Downing Street has defied calls for the removal of Keir Starmer's top aide, insisting Morgan McSweeney retains the prime minister's confidence as frustration grows over a wait for documents about Peter Mandelson that some fear could last for weeks.

Amid warnings from Labour backbenchers yesterday about the dangers for Starmer of leaving McSweeney in post, the prime minister apologised to victims of Jeffrey Epstein for appointing Mandelson, a close friend of the disgraced financier, as US ambassador.

A day after a chaotic Commons deal to release vetting papers over Mandelson's appointment left many Labour MPs mutinous, there was still fury about the role of McSweeney, the prime minister's chief of staff. One MP said: "People want [McSweeney] to go, more than ever before. The current situation is unsustainable."

Karl Turner, the Hull East MP and a vocal critic of the current No 10 operation, said McSweeney would leave the prime minister's position "untenable". "I don't want the PM to go. What I want is the PM to make changes," he told the BBC.

Downing Street officials pointed to Starmer's strong defence of McSweeney in the Commons on Wednesday, saying nothing had changed. Supporters are also aware that shedding his chief of staff could leave Starmer more directly in the firing line in a future crisis.

Amid continued speculation about a possible leadership challenge, Starmer sought to regain the initiative with a speech and media Q&A in Hastings, which was ostensibly about community values but was dominated by the Mandelson aftermath.

Starmer said he understood the frustration of his MPs, and called on them to rally round the government.