Keir Starmer’s days are numbered – how way more can PM take? | Politics | News | EUROtoday

There is little level in denying it is a watershed second for Sir Keir Starmer. McSweeney has been the engine behind Sir Keir’s entry into No 10, and his affect is huge. By resigning, has he dimmed the fireplace threatening to devour his boss, or poured on extra gas?

Sir Keir now stands alone. McSweeney was not simply his adviser, he was the architect of Labour’s election victory and the person who made Sir Keir electable. His departure over mounting strain from the Mandelson scandal strips away the Prime Minister’s chief protector and confidant.

The parallels are unmistakable. When Boris Johnson misplaced Dominic Cummings the sharks began circling. Sir Keir and Mr Johnson each stood by controversial figures regardless of warnings. Both defended these appointments till strain grew to become insufferable. Both supplied a trusted adviser as a sacrifice when the scandal metastasised. The distinction is that Mr Johnson had time. Sir Keir might not.

Westminster operates on notion. When a Prime Minister loses his chief of workers below hearth, MPs scent blood. Conversations in tearooms flip from “if” to “when”. Sir Keir’s rising record of detractors will sense alternative. Backbenchers who stayed quiet will discover their voices.

This resignation is meant to maneuver the story on from the Mandelson scandal. But it confirms solely that the appointment was politically deadly. The Prime Minister can’t blame his workforce. The accountability rests completely with him.

The sharks are not merely circling. They are closing in. How way more can Sir Keir take? History suggests: not a lot