Tory grandee Sir Iain Duncan Smith waded into the debate over who could replace embattled Sir Keir Starmer as leader of the Labour Party.
Prime Minister Starmer is believed to be in the “final days” of his “terminal” office according to Labour MPs close to the rebellion, which was triggered by Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch’s question to Starmer during PMQs in the House of Commons on Wednesday.
She asked Starmer if he knew of Lord Mandelson’s continued links to the American paedophile and businessman Jeffrey Epstein despite his sex crime conviction prior to appointing Lord Mandelson to the position of Ambassador to the US. There was a sharp intake of breath in the chamber before MPs on both sides erupted in uproar at the disclosure.
Angela Rayner mobilised Labour backbenchers against the Prime Minister in an unprecedented show of defiance where the ex-deputy prime minister – regarded as a credible leadership contender – championed calls for complete openness around the controversial appointment. Starmer accused Mandelson of withholding facts in relation to the depth of his relationship with Epstein during the application process for the ambassadorship to the US.
Since then, Labour political insiders have described Starmer’s position as “indefensible”, his premiership has been labelled “terminal,” and backbenchers have called for the resignation of Morgan McSweeney, Starmer’s No 10 Chief of Staff and the man believed to be central to convincing Starmer to back the Mandelson appointment.
Bev Turner, in a sit-down interview with Sir Iain for GB News, asked the veteran Conservative MP who he thought would most likely succeed if Starmer is shunted from office, which seems more likely with each moment that passes.
‘You’ll end up with him, without a doubt’
Sir Iain replied: “It is certainly the case that the present Environment Secretary may well make it if he puts his hat in the ring.”
He explained why “Red Ed” Miliband, known for his eco-zealot credentials and dogged determination to push through Labour’s radical green agenda, is in his view most likely to succeed Starmer.
“He’s overwhelmingly popular. But he has been behaving in this communist-type fashion, imposing rules and regulations on ordinary members of the public, making the cost of motoring higher.
“But the Labour Party members love him because this is the kind of socialism that they want, and he is doing it.
“So if he put his hat into the ring you’d end up with him without a doubt. Without question.
“It would just be a bun fight for the others.”
Bev asked Sir Iain how quickly he thought Miliband could be established as leader of the Labour Party and therefore PM of the country.
“The rules of the Labour Party are much stricter (than the Tories). There is the timing of the challenge and that is normally at conference.
“Then you have to come forward with a huge bunch of named MPs who would support you. In this case about 80, and then there has to be a challenge made directly.
“When that happens it would open it up for the rest. That’s why they’ve never got rid of a leader, Prime Minister or leader of the opposition ever in the past.
“Since the Second World War not one has been got rid of. Even if there was real trouble they still would not be got rid of.”
Commons descends into chaos
After the history-making PMQ where Starmer made his extraordinary admission, Baron Hutton of Furness warned on LBC Wednesday evening that Starmer’s handling of the crisis “could well mark the end of the prime minister’s time in office.”
The peer told listeners: “The issue is the leadership from the prime minister, and I think unless that changes dramatically, I think the government is in serious trouble.”
Starmer initially resisted full disclosure of Mandelson appointment documents before executing a humiliating retreat and a panel comprising MPs and peers will now decide which papers enter the public domain following the last-minute climbdown.
However in a dramatic twist, Scotland Yard torpedoed Starmer’s attempt to publish evidence supposedly proving Mandelson’s dishonesty. Detectives warned releasing the material would be “prejudicial” to their active criminal probe into the peer. Mandelson faces investigation for misconduct in public office – a charge carrying a potential life imprisonment penalty.
Starmer said: “Mandelson betrayed our country, our parliament and my party. He lied repeatedly to my team when asked about his relationship with Epstein before and during his tenure as ambassador. I regret appointing him. If I knew then what I know now, he would never have been anywhere near government.”
Police objection deepens crisis
Ministers rewrote their position to grant the Intelligence and Security Committee unredacted documentation in a capitulation which prevented a parliamentary loss that would have compounded Starmer’s difficulties.
However, just hours later, the Metropolitan Police delivered fresh complications by challenging Cabinet Office document sharing.
Officers flagged concerns that releasing “certain documents” could “undermine our current investigation” into Mandelson’s conduct.
The criminal inquiry centres on allegations the peer transmitted market-sensitive intelligence to Epstein during his tenure as business secretary in Gordon Brown’s Labour government.
The cost of Miliband’s net zero crusade
Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero Ed Miliband has been accused of pursuing “one of the most expensive policies in British history” while justifying it using “misleadingly low figures”—according to the damning verdict of a briefing paper from the Institute of Economic Affairs (IEA) released last month.
Worse still, he is “shutting down serious democratic debate” to hide just how much money the UK is squandering on his clean energy superpower fantasy, the think tank claims.
The IEA’s analysis suggests the gross costs of net zero could exceed even the highest official forecasts of £7.6 trillion—potentially topping £9 trillion.