Daily Mail columnist Dan Hodges stated unequivocally that he believes it has become "impossible" for Sir Keir Starmer to remain as party leader through to the next election.
The comments come as Sir Keir Starmer has insisted he will not quit over the Lord Mandelson scandal.
On Monday, the Prime Minister admitted that he had known about emails between Lord Mandelson and the convicted paedophile when he defended the former ambassador to the US in the Commons last week.
However, he claimed he only knew that a Foreign Office investigation was taking place and did not know nor ask about the contents of the messages, in which it later emerged that Lord Mandelson urged Epstein to fight for early release from jail.
Dan Hodges said that it is 'impossible' for him to lead the Labour Party
|GB NEWS
This has caused questions over the authority of the prime minister, who has refused to quit his job.
Speaking to GB News outside Downing Street, Mr Hodges said: "It’s another terrible day for the man in No10.
"I was up in the gallery watching the debate, and as you said, there were some pretty devastating interventions for the Government.
"David Davis delivered a very forensic and powerful demolition of Peter Mandelson’s political character. And Emily Thornberry, the Labour MP, was also highly effective in raising questions about the vetting of Mandelson.
"What was striking was how few Labour MPs were willing to stand up not necessarily to defend Peter Mandelson, but to defend the Prime Minister.
"That in itself was indicative of the anger on the Labour benches over how this whole affair has been handled. The mood was very bleak."
He added: "Paul O’Brien was Keir Starmer’s director of strategy, someone little known outside Westminster, but well liked, respected, and regarded as one of Starmer’s most senior aides.
LATEST DEVELOPMENTS:
"He was forced to resign after a series of private work messages were leaked inside Downing Street. Among Paul Ovenden’s allies, there’s a belief those leaks were orchestrated by Starmer’s enemies on the left.
"Even more troubling for Downing Street is the belief those same people have a much wider cache of messages from within the Labour Party machine, and there’s real fear that more revelations are on the way.
"Of course, it’s not as easy for Labour MPs to remove a leader as it is for the Conservatives. But two questions: do you think Starmer will lead them into the next election?
"And if not, when do you think the moment of maximum danger will be May next year, or sooner?
This has caused questions over the authority of the prime minister, who has refused to quit his job
| PA"Well, I’ve thought for some time it was increasingly unlikely. Even before this crisis, I doubted Keir Starmer could last the full term.
"Now I think it’s impossible. Labour MPs are beginning to move on from him psychologically. I agree that the moment of maximum danger will be the local elections next year.
"But the reality is, Mr Starmer’s remaining political capital has been spent on the Mandelson affair.
"So if another scandal were to break, especially given the lack of clear answers from the Prime Minister about what he knew, it’s very hard to see how Mr Starmer could survive."