‘Inevitable that he’s got to go!’ Labour rebel predicts fate of Keir Starmer following Lord Mandelson fiasco

Marcus Donaldson
Tue, 21 Apr 2026 20:48:08 +0000

Labour rebel Karl Turner has predicted it is “inevitable” Keir Starmer will eventually have to fall on his sword amid a myriad of Downing Street crises.

The Kingston upon Hull East MP now sits as an independent after he was suspended from the party following a number of policy rows.

Speaking to GB News, Mr Turner weighed in on the renewed pressure on the Prime Minister amid fresh revelations about the vetting process of Lord Mandelson and the bombshell testimony of the now-ousted Foreign Office chief, Sir Olly Robbins.

“I think it's drip, drip, drip,” Mr Turner said, highlighting concerns that mounting scandals would eventually make Sir Keir's position untenable.

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“I think as more and more revelations come out and the Prime Minister is compromised yet further by some of the stuff that's bound to be unearthed, I think that's when it becomes inevitable that the Prime Minister’s got a go.”

However, Mr Turner tempered the prediction by suggesting Sir Keir would be able to limp through the current Peter Mandelson furore.

“It got worse for the Prime Minister today. I don't think it was catastrophic in the sense that he will be resigning imminently.”

The rebel MP said that a lack of credible figures to step into the breach and the upcoming local elections meant Sir Keir’s position would be safe for now.

Beyond the lack of an imminent political threat from within the Labour Party, Mr Turner said the Lord Mandelson scandal has not become a “doorstep issue”.

He said the current crisis could not compare to the Partygate scandal, which contributed to the demise of Boris Johnson’s premiership.

“I think everybody felt affected (during partygate)," he said.

“Everybody had a grandmother, couldn't visit, or had someone in the hospital who was unable to stay in.

“They felt like Boris Johnson was taking the Mickey out of them, when in fact they were having to comply with rules that he didn't need to comply with."