The Epstein file row has left UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s fate in limbo as he faces growing calls for his resignation following the chaos over the appointment of Peter Mandelson as the UK’s ambassador to Washington. Mandelson’s past relationship with sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, who died in a New York jail in 2019, has created tensions within the UK ruling party that have escalated after Starmer’s closest aide and chief of staff, Morgan McSweeney, resigned to take “full responsibility” for Mandelson.
File photo of British Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood. (via REUTERS)Steve Wright, general secretary of the Fire Brigades Union, was quoted by the BBC as saying, “Anyone who has anything to do with Peter Mandelson should not be anywhere near the government.”
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For now, Starmer has stepped down, although the recovery is likely to be temporary, with Bloomberg reporting that Starmer’s potential challenger Wes Streeting and other potential successors, including Ed Miliband, appeared immediately safe after gaining the public support of every cabinet minister, including former deputy prime minister Angela Russ.
Starmer also gave a speech that some have described as his most emotional.
“Having fought so hard for an opportunity to change our country, I am not ready to walk away from my mandate and my responsibility to my country or plunge us into chaos,” Starmer was quoted as saying.
With Starmer at risk of losing the post, one of the front-runners for the UK prime ministership is Shabana Mahmud, who is currently home secretary. He is known for his tough stance on immigration reform for the country.
Shabana Mahmood – A migrant against immigrationMahmood, who is the daughter of immigrants from Pakistan and has roots in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, said being in the UK was a “privilege and not a right” and therefore laws should reflect the same position.
Mahmud, 45, could become the UK’s first Muslim prime minister if Starmer resigns amid growing pressure over Epstein Gate.
Mahmud is a lawyer-politician and is recognized as a key ally of Starmer and a persuasive speaker within the party.
Some Labor leaders believe that the socially conservative Shabana Mahmood would be the best successor to Starmer. However, his tough stance on immigration while home secretary has struck a chord with Labor members.
Although his views on immigration are quite strong and have even stated that immigration is a privilege and not a right, he himself was born into an immigrant family in Birmingham. His mother Zubaida and father Mahmud Ahmed have roots in the city of Mirpur in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir.
Since entering the Home Office in 2025, he has been given a high-level mandate to manage the UK’s border security.
He obtained his law degree from Lincoln College, Oxford in 2002; and completed the Bar Vocational Course at the Inns of Court School of Law to become a barrister the following year.
In 2010, she became one of the first female Muslim MPs along with Rushnara Ali and Yasmin Qureshi.
