UK government crisis: where will it lead?
The intense pressure on British Prime Minister Keir Starmer to step down has increased after the resignations of two of his top aides. Several cabinet members have rallied around him, however. The crisis was triggered by former US ambassador Peter Mandelson, who is suspected of passing on confidential information to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
No plan B
TVNet speculates on what will happen now in the UK:
“At the moment, Starmer is partly saved by the fact that the party lacks a clear and secure succession plan: the potential successors don't have a clear record themselves or they face other obstacles. So some MPs may wait until [the local elections in] May, hoping that the crisis will blow over or that the blame can be shifted onto a few members of Starmer's team. But every new release of documents threatens to destroy this hope. ... Not just the Conservatives but also the far right are rubbing their hands with glee.”
Labour must remember its mission
The government crisis triggered by the Epstein files is distracting Labour from preventing an election victory for the right, The Spectator warns:
“Labour should be launching targeted attacks on Conservatives who are going along with 'remigration' policies that were once favoured by the [far-right] National Front. Labour ought to be shouting about its commitment to clean energy, and the jobs it brings, and reminding the public that it seems like only the day before yesterday that large portions of the right were denying the existence of man-made global warming. As for Brexit, having exhausted all other options, Labour should finally consider telling the truth about the damage leaving the EU has caused.”
Lack of better options
Replacing Keir Starmer is not a solution either, taz writes:
“The majority of the British would like to see this happen. But after the Tories' self-destruction do they really want Labour to destroy itself too, which could pave the way for Nigel Farage, who would multiply all the evils of the concentration of power? Starmer is clearly not a particularly good prime minister. But there is no better option available right now.”
Different standards
The US and Europe are very different in their approach to dealing with compromising behaviour, Večernji list notes:
“Why is it that Prime Minister Keir Starmer's position is shaky now that the relationship between his former ambassador to the US, Peter Mandelson, and Jeffrey Epstein has been exposed, but Donald Trump remains firmly in the saddle even though his commerce secretary had a similar relationship with Epstein? ... The key to understanding this lies in how information about a compromised person is handled: in the US the big question is, 'What did you get out of it?' In Europe it's, 'Why were you there in the first place?' ... Ultimately, European politics punishes misjudgement, not just the act itself. Ethics is not just an add-on, but the foundation. In the US, misjudgements are often tolerated if you remain in power.”