British PM rejects resignation demands following Epstein scandal

UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer has rejected calls to resign following a scandal over the appointment of former US ambassador Peter Mandelson, linked to Jeffrey Epstein files.

Starmer emphasised he will uphold his mandate and avoid plunging the nation into chaos, Reuters reports.

"After having fought so hard for the chance to change our country, I'm not prepared to walk away from my mandate and my responsibility to my country, or to plunge us into chaos, as others have done," Starmer said at a meeting with Labour Party MPs.

The UK Prime Minister added that his main goal is to prevent the populist Reform UK party, led by Nigel Farage, from coming to power.

"That is my fight, that is all of our fight, and we're in this together," Starmer stated.

Earlier, Anas Sarwar, leader of the Scottish Labour Party, speaking in Scotland, where the party’s support has declined since the 2024 election, said with a heavy heart that he felt compelled to defend Scotland and call for a change of leadership in London.

"The distraction needs to end, and the leadership in Downing Street has to change," he told a press conference.

In response, a Downing Street spokesperson said Starmer had "a clear five-year mandate from the British people to deliver change, and that is what he will do," reaffirming the government's commitment to his agenda.

With his statement, Sarwar became the most senior Labour figure to call for Starmer's resignation, doing little to calm the tense atmosphere in Westminster.

By Jeyhun Aghazada