The release of Epstein-related files has...

Editor's note: ...shaken Britain's political establishment, triggering renewed scrutiny of PM Starmer and his past associations, particularly his appointment of Peter Mandelson. These elite vetting systems obviously favor compromised insiders and links this to broader allegations of institutional cover-ups, including the UK grooming gangs scandal. It also highlights Elon Musk's recent social media attacks on Starmer, which have reignited political debate and intensified transatlantic tensions, framing the episode as part of a larger struggle over power and accountability within the British establishment. Mandelson was sent to Washington to "watch President Trump."
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Stramer 'On Borrowed Time' After Losing Mandelson and McSweeney

The prime minister's "entire political project is implicated and tainted by this scandal", his unofficial biographer believes.

By Phil Miller | February 9, 2026

Keir Starmer's reputation will "forever…be associated with the decision to appoint the best friend of the world’s most notorious paedophile" as British ambassador to Washington, the author of a book on the prime minister has said.

Investigative journalist Paul Holden told Declassified that after the resignation of the prime minister's chief of staff Morgan McSweeney: "Keir Starmer is on borrowed time. He's done. There's no coming back from this."

"I mean he was pretty much toast before this because he was so deeply unpopular and there were already moves to remove him.

"The problem is we now have this political vacuum because the success of the McSweeney-Mandelson-Starmer political project has been to totally take utter control of the commanding heights of the Labour party. It's bureaucracy but also the cabinet."

Watch our interview with Paul Holden

Holden, who wrote a book about Starmer's top aide called The Fraud, said "The eight most senior people in cabinet all have links to McSweeney going back years and decades. This entire political project is implicated and tainted by this scandal.

"And that's a real problem because in normal governments you'll have a cabinet that is chosen from a wide range of talents within a broad political movement. This isn't."

Starmer's most likely challenger as prime minister, health secretary Wes Streeting, has even closer ties to Mandelson, potentially ruining his leadership bid.

"This is a cabinet chosen from a tiniest fraction, of the tiniest fraction, of the tiniest fraction of the Labour party," Holden commented. "Not only are they despicable, not only are they loathed by the public, there's nobody there to take over the reins as a result because they are all tainted by it."

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