Addressing No 10 staff this morning as he fights for his premiership, Keir Starmer said they were united by a “driving purpose” of “public duty”. Referring to the revelations about Mandelson, he said: “The thing that makes me most angry is the undermining of the belief that politics can be a force for good and can change lives.
“I have been absolutely clear that I regret the decision that I made to appoint Peter Mandelson. And I’ve apologised to the victims which is the right thing to do.”
Of Morgan McSweeney, he said: “I’ve known Morgan for eight years as a colleague and as a friend. We have run up and down every political football pitch that is across the country. We’ve been in every battle that we needed to be in together. Fighting that battle.
“We changed the Labour Party together. We won a general election together. And none of that would have been possible without Morgan McSweeney.
“His dedication, his commitment and his loyalty to our party and our country was second to none. And I want to thank him for his service.”
Starmer emphasised the work he is desperate to focus on, namely tackling the cost of living and cutting NHS waiting lists. “In just a few months, we start the work of lifting half a million children out of poverty,” he said. “A massive thing to do in this country because that means that lives will be changed.
“For decades to come, children who otherwise wouldn’t have fair chance and fair opportunity. Poverty holds children back like nothing else on earth. And so getting rid of child poverty opens up opportunities for so many.”
He concluded: “We must prove that politics can be a force for good. I believe it can. I believe it is. We go forward from here. We go with confidence as we continue changing the country.”
No mention of Tim Allan who resigned this morning…
[Further reading: How long before parliament burns down?]
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