For Now, Allies Form a Protective Circle Around Starmer Amid Pressure to Resign

The leader of the Scottish Labour party, Anas Sarwar, urged Prime Minister Keir Starmer to resign on Monday, intensifying pressure on the British leader over his decision to make Peter Mandelson the ambassador to the United States despite his close ties to Jeffrey Epstein.

"The distraction needs to end and the leadership in Downing Street has to change," Mr. Sarwar said at a news conference in Glasgow, adding, "There have been too many mistakes."

Mr. Sarwar is the most senior figure in Mr. Starmer's Labour movement so far to call on him to quit, deepening a crisis within the government that has threatened the prime minister's grip on power.