Starmer faces challenging week amid Mandelson fallout and frustrated MPs
Trump's state visit comes as the Tories have written to Starmer asking him to explain the sequence of events leading to Lord Mandelson’s sacking. ITV News Political Correspondent Harry Horton reports
Sir Keir Starmer is facing a challenging week amid the fallout from the sacking of Lord Mandelson and frustrations from MPs while he navigates Donald Trump’s state visit.
The prime minister is still facing questions over when he and No 10 knew the details of emails published last week that showed the Labour grandee sent supportive messages to paedophile financier Jeffrey Epstein even as he faced jail for sex offences.
Former deputy Labour leader Angela Rayner’s resignation over her tax affairs still looms large as the race to replace her takes off.
The issues within his government come as the US President is set to arrive for a state visit that Downing Street said would see the “unbreakable friendship” between the UK and US “reach new heights”.
Starmer hailed a “landmark” partnership as the two countries announced a deal to boost the building of nuclear plants to be signed during the visit.
The Atlantic Partnership for Advanced Nuclear Energy is projected to speed up the building of nuclear power stations by cutting red tape and the length of time it takes to license projects.
The government hopes this will clear the way for a major expansion of nuclear projects in Britain, as part of the drive to produce clean energy.
Sir Keir said: "This landmark UK-US nuclear partnership is not just about powering our homes, it's about powering our economy, our communities, and our ambition."These major commitments set us well on course to a golden age of nuclear that will drive down household bills in the long run, while delivering thousands of good jobs in the short term."
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The prime minister could also get some positive news on his efforts to tackle small boat crossings as the first deportations of migrants under the “one in, one out” deal with France are expected to take place this week.
The first are due to be sent back on a commercial Air France flight on Monday, barring any last-minute legal challenges, The Times reported.
But he will also face further questions about Lord Mandelson.
Business Secretary Peter Kyle’s efforts to lay out what had happened when he spoke to broadcasters on Sunday left many questions unanswered.
He also defended the choice to appoint Lord Mandelson in the first place, saying his “singular talents” meant he was deemed “worth the risk”.
The Conservatives have written to Starmer asking him to explain the sequence of events leading to Lord Mandelson’s sacking and publish documents relating to his vetting and correspondence with the Downing Street operation last week.
The party will be pushing for information next week and will use “every mechanism that is available to us to force the truth to come out”, shadow education secretary Laura Trott told the BBC.
He is also facing disquiet among his own MPs, with one backbencher saying he is “supping in the last-chance saloon”.
Meanwhile, speculation is rife that Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham could seek a return to Westminster.
However, an ally of Mr Burnham rejected that he is laying the foundations for a future leadership bid, calling the rumours “pure speculation with no substance”.
Cabinet minister Mr Kyle said it would be “a shame for Manchester to lose him” when asked about the reports Mr Burnham could seek to return to the Commons after standing down as an MP in 2017.
Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson sought to appeal to members as she launched her leadership bid on Sunday, saying she would use her position if picked to give members a “strong voice” at the Cabinet table.
She also said she wanted to “unite” the party and beat Reform UK to secure a second term for Labour.
Lucy Powell, who is also in the running after being sacked as Commons leader in the reshuffle, called for a “change of culture” at Downing Street, in comments to The Guardian last week.
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