Britain's Prime Minister Keir Starmer leaves 10 Downing Street in London, Monday, Feb. 9, 2026.(AP Photo/Alberto Pezzali)2026-02-10T13:54:47Z LONDON (AP) Keir Starmer fights another day.After indirect fallout from the Jeffrey Epstein files sparked a dramatic day of crisis that threatened to topple him, the U.K. prime minister was saved by a pugnacious fightback and hesitation among his rivals inside the governing Labour Party about the consequences of a leadership coup.Energy Secretary Ed Miliband said Tuesday that Labour lawmakers had looked over the precipice and they didnt like what they saw.And they thought the right thing was to unite behind Keir, Miliband told the BBC.He might have added: For now. Mandelson blowbackStarmers authority over his center-left party has been battered by aftershocks from the publication of files related to Epstein a man he never met and whose sexual misconduct hasnt implicated him. But it was Starmers decision to appoint veteran Labour politician Peter Mandelson, a friend of Epstein, as U.K. ambassador to Washington in 2024 that has led many to question the leaders judgment and call for his resignation.Starmer has apologized, saying Mandelson had lied about the extent of his ties to the convicted sex offender. And he vowed to fight for his job. Every fight I have ever been in, Ive won, Starmer told Labour lawmakers during a rally-the-troops meeting on Monday evening.Starmers risky decision to appoint Mandelson who brought extensive contacts and trade expertise but a history of questionable ethical judgment backfired when emails were published in September showing that Mandelson had maintained a friendship with Epstein after the financiers 2008 conviction for sex offenses involving a minor. Starmer fired Mandelson, but a new trove of Epstein files released last month by the U.S. government contained more revelations. Mandelson is now facing a police investigation for potential misconduct in public office over documents suggesting that he passed sensitive government information to Epstein. Hes not accused of any sexual offenses. Simmering discontentThe Mandelson scandal may be the final straw that finishes Starmers premiership. But it follows discontent that has built since he led Labour to a landslide election victory 19 months ago.Some of Starmers problems stem from a turbulent world and a gloomy economic backdrop. He has won praise for rallying international support for Ukraine and persuading U.S. President Donald Trump to sign a trade deal easing tariffs on U.K. goods. But at home, he has struggled to bring down inflation, boost economic growth and ease the cost of living.Despite a huge parliamentary majority that should allow the government easily to implement its plans, Starmer has been forced to make multiple U-turns on contentious policies including welfare cuts and mandatory digital ID cards.Starmer has been through two chiefs of staff, four directors of communications and multiple lower-level staff changes in Downing Street. The prime ministers powerful chief of staff, Morgan McSweeney, resigned Sunday over the decision to appoint Mandelson. Communications director Tim Allan left the next day. Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar then held a news conference on Monday and called for Starmer to resign. If other senior party figures had followed, the pressure would have been impossible for Starmer to resist.But none did. Instead, Starmers Cabinet and parliamentary colleagues posted apparently choreographed messages of support. They included former Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner and Health Secretary Wes Streeting, considered the two most likely challengers for the top job.Then, came the party meeting where Starmer impressed many with his sense of resolve. Lawmakers in the room said that the mood, initially skeptical, became supportive.It was clear he was up for the fight, said Chris Curtis, one of more than 200 Labour lawmakers elected in the 2024 Starmer landslide. Temporary reprieveStarmer appears to have more political lives than Larry the cat, who has outlasted five prime ministers during 15 years as chief mouser in Downing Street.But his respite is likely to be temporary. Many Labour lawmakers remain worried about their reelection chances if the partys dire opinion poll ratings dont improve.Some female party members feel particularly disappointed by Mandelsons appointment. The Labour leader of Wales, First Minister Eluned Morgan, called revelations about Mandelson deeply troubling, not least because, once again, the voices of women and girls were ignored.That failure must be acknowledged and confronted honestly, she said, while offering support for Starmer.Labour faces potential electoral setbacks at a Feb. 26 special election in what was once a party stronghold in northwest England, and in Mays elections for legislatures in Scotland and Wales and local councils in England.And rivals are still plotting. The Guardian reported that an Angela for leader website backing Rayner briefly went live last month by accident. Streeting, whose genial relationship with Mandelson is now a weakness, released messages hed exchanged with Mandelson before and after the ambassadorial appointment, seemingly in an attempt to show the men werent close friends. The exchanges include implicit criticism of Starmer, with Streeting writing that the government had No growth strategy at all.Tim Bale, professor of politics at Queen Mary University of London, said that Starmer had bought himself some time and challengers were keeping their powder dry for the moment.Its very difficult to image after the shellacking that the party will presumably face in May, him continuing to lead the party much beyond this summer, Bale said.Though in British politics, nothing is impossible.There are problems with the other candidates, Bale said. Its never an ideal situation for any party to be choosing a prime minister in midterm, and it may be that the Labour Party decides, better the devil you know. I suspect that Keir Starmer will go, but who knows? JILL LAWLESS Lawless is based in London, covering British politics, diplomacy and culture and top stories from the UK and beyond. She has reported for the AP from two dozen countries on four continents. twitter mailto