Starmer aide's exit over lewd Abbott jokes deepens crisis as Trump arrives

Starmer aide's exit over lewd Abbott jokes deepens crisis as Trump arrives

Briefly

"The crisis engulfing Keir Starmer has deepened on the eve of Donald Trump's visit to the UK after the resignation of a third senior ally in two weeks raised further questions about the stability of his government. Paul Ovenden quit as the prime minister's director of political strategy after the publication of old WhatsApp messages in which Ovenden relayed lewd jokes made at a party about the Labour MP Diane Abbott."

"His resignation comes after a bruising two weeks in which Starmer has overseen the departures of both his deputy prime minister, Angela Rayner, and his US ambassador, Peter Mandelson. Starmer has also been under pressure from his own MPs after a mass far-right rally in London over the weekend. The government's response to the rally was deemed to be weak."

"The prime minister hit back saying there could be no surrender to racism and violence, which several cabinet members including Wes Streeting have echoed. But tensions over the march have raised fears among many Labour MPs about whether the government is meeting the moment, which some have termed a progressive emergency. The turmoil surrounding Starmer's leadership has prompted Labour MPs to begin talking openly about the prospect of replacing him before the next election, and possibly even in the next few months."