Keir Starmer has full confidence in his chief of staff Morgan McSweeney, Downing Street has said,There have been calls by backbenchers for the sacking of McSweeney, whom many blame for his ally Peter Mandelson’s appointment to the ambassadorship,Asked if the prime minister agreed with calls for his chief of staff to be sacked, the prime minister’s official spokesperson said:It’s full confidence,It comes as Downing Street said it was talking with the Intelligence and Security Committee (ISC) about the process of releasing documents related to Mandelson’s appointment,The spokesperson said:We have begun discussions with the ISC about the process for releasing these documents.

When we’ve agreed a process with the ISC, the government will then update the house.The government will take steps to ensure that document release does not compromise the Met’s investigation.Thanks for following along with the UK politics live blog today.That’s all from me, Tom Ambrose, and my colleague Taz Ali for today.Here is a round-up of all the top news lines:Keir Starmer has attempted to reboot his faltering premiership, apologising for appointing Peter Mandelson as US ambassador and urging his MPs to unite behind him.

The prime minister gave a lengthy speech on Wednesday about community cohesion, but faced a barrage of questions about his leadership after one of his most turbulent days since entering Downing Street.Starmer said he regretted appointing Mandelson in Washington given his relationship with the financier and convicted child sex offender, about which he said the Labour peer had repeatedly lied.“The victims of Epstein have lived with trauma that most of us could barely comprehend, and they have to relive it again and again,” he said.“They have seen accountability delayed and too often denied to them.”Keir Starmer has full confidence in his chief of staff Morgan McSweeney, Downing Street has said.

There have been calls by backbenchers for the sacking of McSweeney, whom many blame for his ally Peter Mandelson’s appointment to the ambassadorship.Asked if the prime minister agreed with calls for his chief of staff to be sacked, the prime minister’s official spokesperson said: “It’s full confidence.”The Intelligence and Security Committee (ISC) has written to Keir Starmer to set out its expectations ahead of the release of the Mandelson documents.In a communication from Lord Beamish and Jeremy Wright, the committee said it is up to the government to decide which of the documents, relating to the ambassadorial appointment, should not be published, adding that the main bulk of papers should be published “very shortly”.Labour pressure group Mainstream has called for a “total overhaul of personnel” in Downing Street amid the fallout from the Peter Mandelson scandal.

The group’s interim council, which includes MP Alex Sobel, said his appointment was “the direct result of a corrosive political culture that must be torn out by its roots”.Tory leader Kemi Badenoch attacked the prime minister for his handling of the Peter Mandelson scandal at a press conference in central London today.She said: “What he should apologise for is ignoring security advice and vetting that showed him Mandelson should never have been appointed in the first place.But, ladies and gentlemen, you will notice he cannot bring himself to do that because his self-righteousness is his greatest weakness.”Keir Starmer should face a no confidence vote, Liberal Democrat leader Ed Davey has said in response to the controversy surrounding Peter Mandelson.

The Liberal Democrats leader said: “The British people can’t afford for this Labour soap opera to drag on for months or even years, like the Conservative Party did with Boris Johnson.We need a government totally focused on ending the cost-of-living crisis, fixing the NHS and care, and getting our economy growing again.”Reform UK leader Nigel Farage has described Keir Starmer’s apology as “weak” and “not quite believable”.Speaking on the campaign trail in the Gorton and Denton by-election, he said: “I mean, all the evidence that we’ve seen over the course of the last 24 hours, indicates he was briefed, he knew that not only had Peter Mandelson maintained a relationship with Jeffrey Epstein after his prison sentence for under age prostitution, he knew that actually he’d stayed with him.”Anas Sarwar, the Scottish Labour leader, has come out in support of the prime minister, saying Starmer should keep his job but that he should never have considered Mandelson for the US ambassador role.

Sarwar described Mandelson as “a shame to our nation”,He had previously referred to Mandelson as an “old friend” when he was given the top diplomatic job in Washington last year,The restoration of the Palace of Westminster could cost up to £40bn, MPs and peers have been told this afternoon,The restoration and renewal client board has put forward two options: one for a ‘full decant’, which would see both houses move out of the building while works take place and another where the palace would be worked on in stages,The Intelligence and Security Committee (ISC) has written to Keir Starmer to set out its expectations ahead of the release of the Mandelson documents.

In a communication from Lord Beamish and Jeremy Wright, the committee said it is up to the government to decide which of the documents, relating to the ambassadorial appointment, should not be published.The letter reads:It is our clear understanding that it is for the government to determine which of the documents in scope of the motion should not be publicly disclosed because, in the government’s view, their disclosure would prejudice national security.The ISC said that it understands the cabinet secretary, Chris Wormald, will be asked to carry out that task on the government’s behalf.It added that it expects the government to release the papers that it deems acceptable for publication “very shortly”.If Keir Starmer does not sack his chief of staff Morgan McSweeney his position will become “untenable,” a Labour MP has warned.

Karl Turner, Labour MP for Hull East, told the BBC:I don’t want the PM to go.What I want is the PM to make changes.And I’m afraid if the prime minister doesn’t want to see the parliamentary party calm down and get completely behind him, then he keeps Morgan McSweeney.My concern is that he’ll keep Morgan McSweeney, and PLP will kick off again and again and again to the point where it’s untenable for the PM.The release of documents related to Peter Mandelson’s appointment as US ambassador will not happen today, it has been reported.

Sky News understands the Metropolitan Police had requested that the government not publish any documents last night due to concerns it could impede the ongoing police investigation into Mandelson,The prime minister’s official spokesperson said this afternoon that the government is “committed to publishing documents relating to his appointment and not compromising the investigation”,Reform UK leader Nigel Farage has described Keir Starmer’s apology as “weak” and “not quite believable”,Speaking on the campaign trail in the Gorton and Denton by-election, he said:I mean, all the evidence that we’ve seen over the course of the last 24 hours, indicates he was briefed, he knew that not only had Peter Mandelson maintained a relationship with Jeffrey Epstein after his prison sentence for under age prostitution, he knew that actually he’d stayed with him,So there was a lot of stuff that was known about the depth of that relationship.

And the prime minister trying to pretend all the way through he doesn’t really know Peter Mandelson, he didn’t really understand what relationship was,So it’s a very weak, late apology, not believable and not helping his position one little bit,Anas Sarwar, the Scottish Labour leader, has come out in support of the prime minister, saying Starmer should keep his job but that he should never have considered Mandelson for the US ambassador role,Sarwar described Mandelson as “a shame to our nation”,He had previously referred to Mandelson as an “old friend” when he was given the top diplomatic job in Washington last year.

When asked by reporters on Thursday whether Starmer can stay in his post until the Holyrood election in May, Sarwar replied: “Yes,”On Mandelson, he said:People will be absolutely furious,Peter Mandelson has betrayed his country, he has betrayed the victims of Jeffrey Epstein, he has betrayed this country, and he has betrayed the party he once belonged to, and he should feel the full force of the law,It is abundantly clear Peter Mandelson was not fit to be ambassador the US, he should not even have been considered for the job,It’s an utter disgrace and he is a shame to our nation.

Keir Starmer has full confidence in his chief of staff Morgan McSweeney, Downing Street has said.There have been calls by backbenchers for the sacking of McSweeney, whom many blame for his ally Peter Mandelson’s appointment to the ambassadorship.Asked if the prime minister agreed with calls for his chief of staff to be sacked, the prime minister’s official spokesperson said:It’s full confidence.It comes as Downing Street said it was talking with the Intelligence and Security Committee (ISC) about the process of releasing documents related to Mandelson’s appointment.The spokesperson said:We have begun discussions with the ISC about the process for releasing these documents.

When we’ve agreed a process with the ISC, the government will then update the house.The government will take steps to ensure that document release does not compromise the Met’s investigation.The restoration of the Palace of Westminster could cost up to £40bn, MPs and peers have been told this afternoon.The restoration and renewal client board has put forward two options: one for a ‘full decant’, which would see both houses move out of the building while works take place and another where the palace would be worked on in stages.The full decant would last 19 to 24 years and cost up to £15.

6bn, while the other option would take 38 to 61 years and cost up to £39.2bn, with both figures including inflation.MPs and peers have also been asked to agree to initial restoration works at the Houses of Parliament lasting seven years, at a cost of up to £3bn.Labour pressure group Mainstream has called for a “total overhaul of personnel” in Downing Street amid the fallout from the Peter Mandelson scandal.The group’s interim council, which includes MP Alex Sobel, said his appointment was “the direct result of a corrosive political culture that must be torn out by its roots”.

They added:A failure of this magnitude does not happen by accident.It requires a system that elevates factional loyalty over integrity, that values connections over character and that treats rigorous vetting as an inconvenience.Everyone who participated in this process - from those who championed the appointment, to those who turned a blind eye, to those who silenced doubts in the name of political convenience - must be held to account.Criticising a “politics of deference and backroom patronage”, they called for an end to “a culture that fears internal challenge”.They said:While this is a systemic failure, those who designed and operated the system cannot evade consequence.

True accountability means a total overhaul of personnel, of process and of the rotten priorities that brought us here.We will not settle for less.Mandelson sought Epstein’s help in hunt for lucrative roles at Glencore and BPPeter Mandelson began seeking advice from the convicted child sex offender Jeffrey Epstein on how to land “highly paid” senior roles with companies including BP and Glencore within days of Labour’s 2010 electoral defeat, emails show.A flurry of messages, sent in the weeks and months following the collapse of the New Labour project, reveal how Epstein mentored Mandelson as the former cabinet minister touted himself for lucrative jobs at global businesses.The emails, released by the US justice department among 3m pages of files on Epstein, lay bare the money-spinning opportunities available to departing ministers.

Read more on this story here:The PA news agency has reported comments by Andrew Bailey, the governor of the Bank of England, who said he was “shocked” by the details of Mandelson’s relationship with Epstein, including claims that he sent market-sensitive information to the convicted sex offender while serving as business secretary,“A year ago I had to give evidence in a legal case around this issue – it was my duty,” he said,“I was having to push back on the lies we were being told consistently,“I am shocked by what we heard at that time about the financial crisis period,“We have to remember that the most important thing is the victims in all of this.

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