Voters demand Keir Starmer quits as PM after Lord Mandelson scandal puts premiership on the brink

Labour voters remain split on whether Sir Keir should stay in No10, with just 40 per cent supporting the Prime Minister and 37 per cent wanting new leadership.

Meanwhile, an overwhelming majority of both 2024 Tory and Reform UK voters back Sir Keir stepping down.

YouGov polled 6,741 Britons about Sir Keir on February 5, just hours after the Prime Minister admitted No10 knew Lord Mandelson visited Jeffrey Epstein's house before appointing him as the UK's Ambassador to the US.

During a fiery exchange with Kemi Badenoch at Prime Minister's Questions, Sir Keir revealed Lord Mandelson's relationship with Epstein had been "dealt with" when No10 was vetting the former New Labour Cabinet Minister.

He said: “As the House would expect, we went through a process. There was a due diligence exercise and then there was security vetting by the security services.

“What was not known was the depth, the sheer depth and extent of the relationship. He lied about that to everyone for years.

“New information was published in September, showing the relationship was materially different to what we’d been led to believe.

“When the new evidence came to light, I sacked him, but we did go through a due diligence exercise. The points that are being put to me were dealt with within that exercise.”

Sir Keir maintains Lord Mandelson "lied" to him about his relationship with Epstein, accusing his one-time ally of "betraying" Britain.

Speaking at an event in Hastings earlier today, the Prime Minister apologised for appointing Lord Mandelson as the UK's Ambassador to the US.

The Prime Minister said: “The victims of Epstein have lived with trauma that most of us could barely comprehend, and they have to relive it again and again. They have seen accountability delayed and too often denied to them.

“I want to say this. I am sorry – sorry for what was done to you, sorry that so many people with power failed, sorry for having believed Mandelson’s lies and appointed him, and sorry that even now you’re forced to watch this story unfold in public once again.”

Lord Mandelson, who quit as a Labour member and announced he would be stepping down from the House of Lords, has always denied any wrongdoing.

However, Labour MPs have already started turning against the Prime Minister over the Lord Mandelson debacle.

Veteran MP Graham Stringer told GB News that Sir Keir is "finished" as Prime Minister.

Mr Stringer added: “It’s embarrassing some of the policy documents that have gone out and some of the policy decisions, talk about Chagos or the failure to reform the benefits system.

"There are a whole series of things that are embarrassing. But overall [the Mandelson scandal] is just simply appalling, and we have to put it right.

"Again, I’ve said in this studio, we should give the Prime Minister time to put it right. He’s not put it right. He’s dug himself deeper into a hole.

“The apology he made today, it wasn’t a completely full but he should have started yesterday [with it].

"Be honest, promise the documents and say, ‘I am sorry, I did it for the best reasons but I misjudged it’.

"It wouldn’t have completely absolved him but it would have stopped the leader of the opposition, Kemi Badenoch, nailing him because he wasn’t forthright to begin with.”

Meanwhile, Mrs Badenoch and Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey have ramped up calls for MPs to hold a vote of no confidence.