Starmer’s premiership ‘on the ropes’, says US ambassador in leaked recording
The UK's ambassador to the US, Sir Christian Turner, said in a leaked recording that Prime Minister Keir Starmer was 'on the ropes' following the fallout from appointing Peter Mandelson as ambassador, suggesting Labour might remove him if it performs poorly in upcoming local elections. Turner, who replaced Mandelson after his sacking over links to Jeffrey Epstein, criticized the US political system for not being held accountable in the Epstein scandal. He also questioned the uniqueness of the UK-US 'special relationship,' suggesting Israel holds a more distinct position with the US. The Foreign Office dismissed the remarks as private, informal comments not reflecting government policy.
- ▪Sir Christian Turner, the UK ambassador to the US, said Keir Starmer was 'on the ropes' due to the political fallout from appointing Peter Mandelson.
- ▪Mandelson was dismissed as ambassador over his connections to Jeffrey Epstein, a scandal that also implicated a senior royal and damaged the UK government.
- ▪Turner suggested Labour could attempt to remove Starmer as prime minister if the party performs poorly in the upcoming May local elections.
- ▪He stated that the US has a more genuine 'special relationship' with Israel than with the UK, calling the UK-US term 'nostalgic' and 'backwards-looking'.
- ▪The Foreign Office said Turner's comments were private and informal, made to students, and do not represent official UK government views.
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NewsUKUK PoliticsStarmer’s premiership ‘on the ropes’, says US ambassador in leaked recordingRemarks by Sir Christian Turner, who replaced Lord Mandelson – sacked over his links to Jeffrey Epstein – come to light as King Charles meets Donald Trump on US visitKate Devlin Whitehall Editor Tuesday 28 April 2026 17:55 BSTBookmarkCommentsGo to commentsBookmark popoverRemoved from bookmarksClose popover{"translations":{"comments":"Go to comments","share":"Share","copyLink":"Copy link","bookmark":"Bookmark","removeBookmark":"Remove bookmark"},"showComments":true,"showBookmark":true,"articleId":"b2966579","articleMeta":{"url":"https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/starmer-us-ambassador-christian-turner-mandelson-king-b2966579.html","title":"Starmer’s premiership ‘on the ropes’, says US…
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