'I give him a week': Frustrated Shropshire voters on Starmer's prospects amid Mandelson scandal
On the streets of the West Midlands, the latest chapter of the Mandelson scandal has fuelled public anger and deepened voter cynicism about trust and integrity in politics.
A criminal inquiry has been opened following claims that Peter Mandelson shared confidential information with paedophile financier Jeffrey Epstein.
Documents released by the US Department of Justice apparently indicate that Mandelson passed material to Epstein during his time as business secretary in Gordon Brown’s Labour Government.
The controversy has prompted warnings from MPs that Starmer’s position as Prime Minister could be at risk, after he appointed Mandelson as the UK’s ambassador to Washington in 2024 despite Mandelson’s widely known friendship with Epstein.
During a speech in East Sussex on Thursday, the PM said he shared the "frustration and anger" of MPs, and apologised for believing Mandelson's "lies" and for appointing him as US ambassador.
When asked whether he would fight back if his party tried to remove him as leader, Starmer said that he intends to "go on doing the vital work" of changing the country "for the better".
But for some local residents, the scandal is simply the final nail in the coffin for the Prime Minister and the result of a political system that many are clearly getting fed up with.
