KEIR STARMER WILL continue his fight for political survival today as he’s to face questions from his own MPs over the appointment of Peter Mandelson, who is under policy inquiry over his ties to Jeffrey Epstein. 

Yesterday saw the dramatic exit of Starmer’s chief of staff and longtime ally, Cork man Morgan McSweeney. 

McSweeney released a statement that said that he advised Starmer to make the Mandelson appointment, but further said that he did not oversee the subsequent vetting process. 

Starmer will today address the Parliamentary Labour party, as many of his elected officials are angry about revelations that he appointed Mandelson as US ambassador despite knowing his links with Epstein continued after the notorious paedophile’s conviction for child sex offences. 

The latest release of three million ‘Epstein files’ also revealed that Mandelson potentially passed on market-sensitive government information to the convicted sex offender, including advance notice of the EU’s €500 bn bailout to save the Euro. 

Mandelson has said that he did not act criminally and was not motivated by financial gain.

A photo has also been released of Mandelson in his underwear talking to a woman (whose face is redacted) who is wearing a bathrobe. 

It’s not clear when the photograph was taken, by Sky News investigations has said that it was taken from inside Epstein’s Paris apartment. 

The UK government is now preparing for its own files release, as tens of thousands of emails, messages and documents relating to Mandelson’s appointment are to be released. 

Several Labour MPs have already called for Starmer to go for initially appointing Mandelson, who exited his ambassador role last year. 

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Brian Leishman, Ian Byrne, and Kim Johnson have said he should also resign.

York MP Rachael Maskell has said that McSweeney’s departure is “a start” but that Starmer now needs to turn away from the “factionalism” she claims was brought about by the top aide. 

Unions have also criticised Starmer, with Fire Brigades general secretary Steve Wright saying he should resign. 

Starmer has tasked his officials with proving that Mandelson lied during the vetting process associated with his appointment when he claimed that he barely knew Epstein.