Scottish Labour MSPs have been showing support for their leader Anas Sarwar, who yesterday called on Prime Minister Keir Starmer to stand down from the top job.

MSP Martin Whitfield says that the "difficult decision" made by Sarwar to withdraw support from Starmer "was right for Scotland".

"The decisions that have been made have shown an error in judgement," he tells the BBC."I think that Keir Starmer should seriously consider his position."

Echoing his words is fellow MSP Michael Marra, who believes Sarwar has acted in "the best interest of Scotland" - a nation, he says, that is in need of "proper change".

For MSP Katy Clark, the government needs a "reset" after what she calls a series of "poor decisions" tracing back to winter fuel payment cuts and the rejection of compensation for Waspi women.

"Yes, of course I do," she replies when asked if she agrees with Sarwar.

A moment of calm for the PM, but there could be more peril down the roadpublished at 13:17 GMT

13:17 GMT

Harry Farley
Political correspondent reporting from Downing Street

Image source, PA Media

If one or two cabinet members had withheld their support or even resigned yesterday, things could have panned out very differently for Keir Starmer.

The prime minister could have had to go if senior members of the Labour Party - perhaps Welsh First Minister Eluned Morgan or Mayor of London Sadiq Khan - had also joined Scottish leader Anas Sarwar in calling for him to resign.

I was stood in the corridor outside the committee room where Starmer was addressing Labour MPs and peers last night.

They genuinely did seem impressed. Even those who had previously called for Starmer to go seemed appeased.

They said they had never seen the prime minister speak like that.

Starmer spoke about his brother who had learning difficulties and his sister who works in the NHS as examples of the people he wants to fight for.

It seems, for now, the PM is safe in his job. But the key words are for now.

A moment of calm perhaps, but still plenty of peril ahead.

Image source, PA Media

Mayor of Greater Manchester Andy Burnham has also weighed in on the latest developments in Westminster during an event in London this morning.

Taking questions at the Resolution Foundation thinktank, Burnham says that the PM "has my support, the government has my support".

He adds that ministers also had his support when he put his name forward for the Gorton and Denton by-election in recent weeks, a move that was subsequently blocked by Labour.

"I do feel we're at a crucial moment, it is absolutely right that people give the government stability in this moment," he adds.

Speaking to BBC Politics investigations correspondent Joe Pike, Health Secretary Wes Streeting says he fully supports the prime minister.

Asked if the PM has threatened him with the sack, Streeting says "no".

"The PM has my full support," he says. "The PM is leading this country through an enormous set of challenges and people have got to recognise the integrity with which he does that."

"There is a lot of goodwill behind him, there is an enormous challenge, and we have to meet that challenge as a team."

The next hill on the horizon for the Starmer government is the upcoming Gorton and Denton by-election at the end of the month.

Returning from door-stepping potential voters in the area, Labour MP David Pinto-Duschinsky tells BBC News that local residents are concerned with cost of living, public services, and fixing potholes - not "the soap opera in Westminster".

The Hendon MP says he thinks Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar was "wrong" for demanding Starmer's resignation, saying that the Labour Party isn't focused "on internal squabbles, like the Conservatives".

"We all share the public's impatience to deliver that change," Pinto-Duschinsky adds.

We've just received an update from No 10 on what was discussed in a cabinet meeting earlier today.

"The prime minister thanked Political Cabinet for their support. He said they were strong and united," the readout says.

In the meeting, the PM also reiterated support for Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar, reaffirming that "the whole" of the Labour Party wants him to become Scotland's first minister.

• As a reminder, Sarwar is the most senior Labour figure so far to have called on the PM to resign

Starmer also highlighted how ministers are delivering on "their mandate to change the country", vowing that the government would "continue its relentless focus on the priorities of the British people".

Image source, PA Media

After a turbulent day for Keir Starmer on Monday, ministers gathered in Westminster this morning for their weekly cabinet meeting.

Here is a run down of what else has happened today so far:

• Welsh First Minister Eluned Morgan has backed the PM, saying "the country needs stability in an age of instability"
• Ministers have been told to not follow Wes Streeting's example and refrain from publishing their messages with Peter Mandelson
• Tory leader Kemi Badenoch believes it is "still a matter of when not if" the PM goes
• Energy Secretary Ed Miliband says that Starmer has survived a "very damaging episode" and describes Monday as a "moment of peril for the prime minister"
• The BBC's chief political correspondent Henry Zeffman reports that today marks a moment of "political triumph" for the PM - you can read more analysis here

Gareth Lewis
BBC Wales political editor

Image source, Reuters

With the political temperature high, Eluned Morgan’s support for Keir Starmer could be described as lukewarm.

Both Conservatives and Plaid Cymru are expected to press Morgan on her view on Starmer, and although she has now issued a statement after yesterday’s silence it does give them something extra to base their questions on.

There are serious caveats in what she says, including an implication that failures in the appointment of Peter Mandelson have not been fully confronted.

Yet her “ultimate” test is whether the prime minister delivers for Wales – might opposition parties pick up on that potential contradiction later on Tuesday in first minister’s questions?

Is that more important than the Mandelson scandal, and does she think he is delivering?

This is the third time in as many weeks that Morgan has not given Starmer her full-throated support, but the situation this time is far more serious given events on Monday, with that Senedd election now less than three months away.

A short while ago, we reported that ministers have been instructed not to publish their messages with Peter Mandelson after Wes Streeting did so last night.

We can now bring you a statement from a spokesperson for the Met Police which reiterates that directive:

“An investigation into alleged misconduct in public office is under way and it is vital due process is followed so that our criminal investigation and any potential prosecution is not compromised.

"As part of our enquiries, we will review material identified and provided to us by the Cabinet Office to assess whether publication is likely to have a detrimental impact on our investigation or any subsequent prosecution.

"We will work alongside the Cabinet Office to review relevant documents over the weeks ahead. The process to decide which documents should ultimately be published remains a matter for government and parliament.

“As we have stated previously, this investigation may be complex but we are focused on a timely and thorough process so that justice is served in this case or future ones linked to the Epstein files.

“We understand and respect the role of parliament in releasing these documents and will support their objective of transparency through our work with the Cabinet Office.”

Cabinet ministers have been all smiles as they leave Downing Street after meeting with Keir Starmer.

Image source, Reuters

Image source, Reuters

Image source, Reuters

Harry Farley
Political correspondent

Ministers have been told not to follow Wes Streeting and pre-emptively publish their messages with Peter Mandelson.

In a message to government officials last night, the Cabinet Office said ministers should not directly publish anything themselves that is within the scope of the motion passed by parliament last week.

That includes messages between Mandelson and ministers, advisers and officials during his time as US ambassador.

It comes after the Health Secretary Wes Streeting published his WhatsApp exchanges with Mandelson.

One source said there was now concern that ministers could feel political pressure to publish messages that should instead be shared by parliament’s Intelligence and Security Committee.

• For context: Yesterday, Streeting released his messages with Mandelson, which included ones where he criticised the government's economic strategy

Starmer will be viewing today's calm as a political triumphpublished at 11:14 GMT

11:14 GMT

Henry Zeffman
Chief political correspondent

Image source, PA Media

Keir Starmer will be delighted with the position he finds himself in this morning.

That mind sound odd to say. After all, Ed Miliband, the energy secretary, has spent the morning emphasising how dangerous yesterday was for the prime minister.

But it is precisely because things looked so difficult for Starmer early yesterday afternoon that it represents such an achievement to have reached a period of relative calm today.

The crucial moment came as Anas Sarwar stood up in Glasgow to call for Starmer’s resignation. But it was not Sarwar the crucial moment came from, it was David Lammy, the deputy prime minister.

Lammy posted on X that Starmer’s “massive mandate” should be respected.

It triggered a cascade of similar messages from other cabinet ministers - who had been conspicuous by their absence from the airwaves over the preceding hours.

But it is also important to be realistic - as those around Starmer are being - about what those endorsements from the cabinet and other Labour powerbrokers really mean.

They do not mean that Starmer will never face another threat to his authority.

Some ministers I have spoken to are clear in private that they are essentially reserving their position. In most cases, that’s until the May elections, which now take on even greater significance. But others talk of the Gorton and Denton by-election, which is a fortnight on Thursday.

Still, it now feels a certainty that Starmer will be prime minister for that by-election - and likely that he will be in place in May.

Given he was fighting for survival hour by hour yesterday, that is a political triumph.

Image source, PA Media

Wales First Minister Eluned Morgan says she supports the prime minister, in a statement released by her press office.

"I support the prime minister in the job he was elected to do," she says, adding that "after years of revolving-door leadership under the Conservatives, the country needs stability in an age of instability".

"I had concerns that Peter Mandelson was incompatible with public office because of the company he kept," she says.

"These issues are deeply troubling not least because, once again, the voices of women and girls were ignored."

She adds that the failure of his appointment must be "acknowledged and confronted honestly".

"Ultimately, I judge any prime minister by a simple test: whether they deliver for Wales," Morgan says. "I have been clear with Keir about what Wales needs. Action on the cost of living, investment in our economy and infrastructure, and a continued commitment to stronger devolution."

Image source, PA Media

Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch has spoken to the media following yesterday's series of calls for Prime Minister Keir Starmer to resign.

She says it is "quite clear" that the Labour Party has lost confidence in Starmer, and that Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar has "said the quiet bit out loud" by joining calls for the PM to quit.

"Instead of doing the right thing, what they've done is rally behind the prime minister," says Badenoch, who claims the Parliamentary Labour Party decided to support the PM because they are "terrified" of losing their own jobs.

She adds that her party is "always prepared" to table a vote of no confidence in the prime minister, but are "not at the stage" to do so yet.

That said, Badenoch says it is "still a matter of when, not if, he [Starmer] goes".

As a prime minister, Starmer "creates a lot of instability", she says, but she acknowledges that an alternative Labour leader would create "more instability".

Scottish Labour deflated in face of Holyrood electionspublished at 10:43 GMT

10:43 GMT

Glenn Campbell
BBC Scotland Political Editor

Image source, PA Media

In calling for Keir Starmer to stand down, Anas Sarwar revealed a fundamental breach in his political relationship with the prime minister.

He has not taken back a word of what he said. If he did, that would undermine his own credibility.

Yet the Scottish secretary Douglas Alexander has said it was nothing more than a “sincere and genuine disagreement” from which both men are ready to move on to concentrate on fighting the SNP.

His interview on BBC Radio Scotland breakfast was smooth and designed to calm the storm.

The fact that he has been called on to perform this role on numerous occasions in recent months tells its own story.

A series of blunders and about turns have marked Starmer’s leadership and many in Scottish Labour think it is wrecking their Holyrood election chances.

They fear that if Starmer stays they will struggle to close the gap with the SNP and Sarwar’s judgement is that if he goes there is at least the chance of changing the political weather.

Whatever happens it seems to me that Downing Street drama will continue to suck some of the oxygen from the Scottish campaign Sarwar wants to fight.

There will either be questions over how the two men can possibly work together should Sarwar become first minister or a new distraction of a leadership process to find a new PM if Starmer’s forced out sooner rather than later.

A former adviser to Keir Starmer says the prime minister should be thinking "bigger" after a "challenging" day yesterday.

"It is obviously a really big moment," says Claire Ainsley, who was Starmer's policy chief when he was in opposition.

"Most of the reporting I think is accurate that the prime minister has emerged stronger in what was an incredibly challenging day," Ainsley tells BBC News. "But he is certainly not out of the woods."

She says that Labour has an opportunity now to "not just to do a short-term reset, but really to do a recovery plan".

By doing this, Ainsley says, they'll be able to "get on with doing what they were elected to do".

Jack Grey
Live reporter

Image source, Getty Images

This morning, Energy Secretary Ed Miliband admitted that the Labour Party “looked over the precipice” as Keir Starmer fought to shore up support for his leadership. Ultimately, he said, they decided to back him.

Let's quickly remind you how events have unfolded in the last ten days or so and the pressure the prime minister finds himself under.

Mandelson appointment

It stems back to the appointment of Peter Mandelson as ambassador to the US in December 2024, before he was sacked nine months later due to links to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

Further links were revealed after the US Department of Justice (DoJ) released millions more Epstein files. Among the emails, messages and images included allegations Mandelson passed on market-sensitive government information to Epstein during the height of the global financial crisis in 2009.

The Metropolitan Police is now investigating Mandelson for alleged misconduct in public office. The BBC understands Mandelson's position is that he has not acted in any way criminally and that he was not motivated by financial gain.

Calls to resign

Day by day, the PM has faced anger from all parties, including his own, for the decision to appoint Mandelson in the first place.

Over the weekend, Starmer's long-term adviser Morgan McSweeney dramatically quit. This departure was followed yesterday by Downing Street communications director Tim Allan.

This led to Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar becoming the highest profile Labour voice to call for Starmer to step down.

Starmer's cabinet rallies around him

Despite Sarwar's bold call, Starmer's cabinet ministers responded by expressing public support for the prime minister.

Then, Starmer mounted a strong defence of his leadership, by telling a private meeting of Labour MPs on Monday evening that he was "not prepared to walk away".

Angus Harron
BBC News NI

Image source, Getty Images

Keir Starmer’s “biggest advantage” is that the Labour Party doesn't have an alternative leadership candidate who could “turn things around in the short term”, says Professor John Curtice, a political scientist and electoral expert.

Speaking to BBC Radio Ulster’s Good Morning Ulster programme, Curtice says that there is no "obvious successor to Keir Starmer".

And because of that, the party would face "a fractious, divisive leadership contest" if the PM were to resign right now.

On Anas Sarwar, Curtice says he decided to “go for broke” and call for Starmer to step down because “he is finding himself seemingly heading for an electoral car crash” in the upcoming Scottish election.

“Anas Sarwar is fighting off the back of a prime minister whose poll ratings in Scotland are dragging Labour down," Curtice says.

"But if it was going to have the effect he wanted, there needed to be other people saying they agreed that Starmer needed to go."

Following our previous post, we're now seeing more cabinet members arrive at Downing Street for a meeting with Keir Starmer.

Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander has arrived, as well as Health Secretary Wes Streeting, who walked in with Technology Secretary Liz Kendall.

We've also seen Northern Ireland Secretary Hilary Benn and Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson.

Image source, PA Media

Image source, PA Media

Image source, Reuters

Nabiha Ahmed
Live reporter

Both the criticism and defence of Keir Starmer has continued into today, after the PM faced mounting pressure to quit his job yesterday - including from a senior member of his own party.

In the wake of yesterday's departures, and calls for further departures, here's a look at what's been happening this morning:

• Energy Secretary Ed Miliband said the PM faced a "moment of peril" yesterday, but ultimately, the Labour Party "looked over the precipice" and chose to support him
• He suggested that this presents a "moment of change" for the party, and said he expects to see a less "constrained" Starmer going forward
• At yesterday's private meeting of the Parliamentary Labour Party (PLP), Starmer came across as "strong" but "apologetic", according to Karl Turner, one of the Labour MPs who was in the room
• During the PLP meeting, Starmer insisted that he was "not prepared to walk away" from the top job
• His words follow a chorus of calls for the PM to resign, which included opposition party leaders, but also Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar
• Starmer is also set to chair a cabinet meeting this morning - where we've already seen some of those who stood up to back his premiership arriving

This all comes after two officials resigned from Starmer's team in recent days, including his chief of staff, Morgan McSweeney, and director of communications, Tim Allan.

Our political correspondent Nick Eardley understands that the clear-out of senior officials is set to continue, with the cabinet secretary Chris Wormald also expected to leave his job in the coming days.