Starmer agrees with Nandy over government's challenges, says No 10

The government is "united in its position that there are many people who are held back a system that does not work for them" a No 10 spokesman has said after Lisa Nandy described the recent political turbulence as "unforgivable".

Speaking to the Guardian, the culture secretary said: "It does look to people outside that we're more interested in ourselves and less interested in preventing chaos."

She said the government had "not done enough" adding: "This has to be the moment of reckoning."

Asked if the prime minister agreed with Nandy, his official spokesman said: "What she has said is the country isn't working for everyone - the prime minister agrees with that."

"The PM is fighting for the millions of people in poverty who are held back by a system that doesn't work for them," he added.

Nandy's comments come after a difficult few days for the prime minister which has seen around half a dozen Labour MPs and the Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar call for his resignation.

Sir Keir Starmer is also facing questions over his appointment of Peter Mandelson as the UK's ambassador in the US, despite his known links to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

A show of cabinet support on Monday meant Sir Keir survived the challenge from Sarwar, however he remains in a fragile position and senior ministers appear to be feeling more freedom to speak and act independently.

On Tuesday, Health Secretary Wes Streeting, circumnavigated an ongoing government process to publish communications related to the appointment of Lord Mandelson, by unilaterally releasing his own messages with the former Labour peer.

Now Nandy has given an interview to the Guardian which includes criticism of the government's record.

Speaking to the newspaper, she said: "At times in our history in the Labour movement we've understood that our job is not just about redistributing wealth, it's about who holds power. I think we've forgotten it.

"We've not done enough, and this has got to be the moment of reckoning where we say not just what are we here for, but who are we here for?"

She said MPs wanted the government to be "bigger and bolder" and that ministers needed to "wear our colours on our sleeves again".

She also said the "culture" of the Labour Party had to change.

"We've got to be more open and porous and respectful of different points of view."

Asked if her interview was the start of a potential leadership bid, the Wigan MP, who lost out to Sir Keir in the 2020 Labour contest, replied "God no."

She added: "I think there are things the country needs to hear from us; they need to understand that we see and we acknowledge our mistakes."

Despite the difficult week, Sir Keir sought to strike a defiant tone, telling reporters on Tuesday that he would "never walk away from the country that I love".

He said he was fighting for the "millions of people held back because of a system that doesn't work for them", adding: "I will never give up on that fight."

Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch has said the Labour Party had "lost confidence in Keir Starmer" and that it was "a matter of when, not if" he had to resign.

The prime minister has faced months of questions about his leadership in the face of low poll ratings and series of policy U-turns.

The latest row has been triggered by information released in the Epstein files including indications Lord Mandelson accepted money from the US financier, as well as allegedly forwarding him confidential government emails as a minister.

Sir Keir had already sacked Lord Mandelson after a previous release of Epstein documents, however Labour MPs have questioned why he was appointed in the first place.

There has also been concern in the Parliamentary Labour Party about the prime minister awarding his former communications chief Matthew Doyle a peerage, despite his links to a sex offender.

Lord Doyle has apologised for his past association with Sean Morton, a former Labour councillor who admitted indecent child image offences in 2017.

In a statement he said: "At the point of my campaigning support, Morton repeatedly asserted to all those who knew him his innocence, including initially in court.

"To have not ceased support ahead of a judicial conclusion was a clear error of judgement for which I apologise unreservedly.

"Following his conviction any contact was extremely limited and I have not seen or spoken to him in years. Twice I was at events organised by other people, which he attended, and once I saw him to check on his welfare after concerns were raised through others."

On Tuesday, Lord Doyle was suspended from Labour's parliamentary party.

Challenged on the peerage at Prime Minister's Questions, Sir Keir said Lord Doyle had not given "a full account of his actions".

Lord Doyle has not yet responded to the prime minister's accusation.