MOSCOW, Feb 10 — United Kingdom (UK) Prime Minister Keir Starmer's office ruled out his resignation on Monday amid a scandal surrounding the alleged ties between former UK Ambassador to the United States Peter Mandelson and infamous late financier and sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein.
"No," a spokesman for Starmer's office told Sky News when asked about whether the prime minister was planning to step down after two government officials resigned over the Epstein scandal, reported Sputnik/RIA Novosti.
They added that Starmer is "upbeat and confident" and "remains determined to tackle the job in hand".
The spokesman also responded affirmatively to the question of whether the Prime Minister was sure he had the unequivocal support of his government, and dismissed allegations that Starmer's office was "in chaos" after the two resignations.
On Sunday, Starmer's Chief of Staff Morgan McSweeney resigned, saying he had endorsed Mandelson's candidacy for the ambassador post and that he was taking full responsibility for that decision. On Monday morning, Starmer's fourth director of communications in government Tim Allan followed suit.
Meanwhile, famous UK author J.K. Rowling accused Starmer of being indifferent to violence against girls and women unless it threatened his career.
"Add Keir Starmer's newfound concern for victims of Peter Mandelson's bestie to his backflip on whether women can have penises and his U-turn on the Rotherham grooming gangs enquiry.
"Starmer is indifferent to harm done to girls and women unless it threatens his career. Starmer out," she wrote on X (formerly Twitter).
Following the release of the latest batch of Epstein files by the US Department of Justice, the UK media revealed that Mandelson, while serving as Business Secretary in Prime Minister Gordon Brown's government in 2009, forwarded an internal UK government document to Epstein. UK police have launched a criminal investigation against Mandelson for forwarding the document.
