Labour is 'strong and united,' British premier tells Cabinet

LONDON

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer chaired a meeting of Labour’s political cabinet on Tuesday, alongside a meeting of the full cabinet, as the party sought to project unity following internal tensions.

In a readout of the meeting, Labour said the prime minister had thanked colleagues for backing him, a day after Scottish Labour Leader Anas Sarwar said he no longer supported Starmer.

“The prime minister thanked political cabinet for their support. He said they were strong and united,” according to the statement.

The readout said Starmer highlighted what he described as progress in delivering on the government’s mandate, pointing to investment in local communities and efforts to restore economic stability.

It said this approach had “led to six interest rate cuts and lower mortgage costs for families.”

The statement added that the government would maintain a “relentless focus” on voters’ priorities, including the cost of living.

“He said the government would continue its relentless focus on the priorities of the British people, including tackling the cost of living,” the readout said.

Despite Sarwar’s comments, Starmer reiterated his support for the Scottish Labour leader, saying: “The prime minister said that the whole of the Labour party wants Anas Sarwar to become first minister and will fight for a Labour government in Scotland.”

Sarwar on Monday called on Starmer to resign as both UK prime minister and Labour leader, saying the nation’s leadership “has to change.”

The Scottish Labour leader said the decision “isn't easy, and it's not without pain,” but stressed that his priority is “my country, Scotland.”

He said: “That's why the distraction needs to end. And the leadership in Downing Street has to change.”

On Thursday, Starmer said he was "sorry" for believing Mandelson's "lies" and appointing him as ambassador to the US, as pressure continued to mount on him after he admitted to knowing about Mandelson's ties with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

Mandelson was sacked in September, but new Epstein files suggested that he shared confidential information with the convicted sex offender when he was a business secretary in 2009.

Mandelson has also stepped down from the House of Lords and the Labour Party.

The US Justice Department recently released more than 3 million pages, 2,000 videos, and 180,000 images under the Epstein Files Transparency Act, which was signed into law last November.

The materials include photos, grand jury transcripts, and investigative records, though many pages remain heavily redacted. Epstein survivors and victims’ relatives say the release falls short of what the law requires and omits much vital information.

Epstein was found dead by suicide in a New York City jail in 2019 while awaiting trial on federal sex trafficking charges involving underage girls.