London, February 10, 2026 (Agencies) – UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer is facing mounting political pressure after his director of communications, Tim Allan, resigned on Monday, a day after the prime minister’s chief of staff stepped down, amid continuing fallout over links between a senior Labour figure and disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein.
Allan announced his resignation, saying the move would allow the prime minister to build a “new team” at Downing Street. “I have decided to stand down to allow a new No 10 team to be built. I wish the PM and his team every success,” he said in a statement. Allan, a former adviser to ex-prime minister Tony Blair from 1992 to 1998, was appointed to the role last September.
His departure follows the resignation of Morgan McSweeney, Starmer’s chief of staff, who said he took “full responsibility” for advising the prime minister to appoint Peter Mandelson as the UK ambassador to the United States, despite Mandelson’s known links to Epstein.
“After careful reflection, I have decided to resign from the government. The decision to appoint Peter Mandelson was wrong. He has damaged our party, our country, and trust in politics itself,” McSweeney said.
Starmer has come under intense criticism for appointing Mandelson to the diplomatic post. Mandelson resigned as ambassador last September and stepped down from the Labour Party and the House of Lords after a new batch of Epstein-related files was published last month. The prime minister has since apologized to Epstein’s victims over the decision.
Despite having expressed “full confidence” in McSweeney just last week, Starmer thanked his outgoing chief of staff for his service, saying both he and the Labour Party owe him “a debt of gratitude.”
Opposition parties have intensified calls for Starmer to take responsibility and resign. Reform UK accused the government of creating “chaos,” while the Scottish National Party (SNP) demanded that the prime minister step down, citing a crisis of trust and leadership.
The twin resignations mark a significant escalation in the political storm surrounding the prime minister and raise fresh questions about the stability of his leadership and the future direction of his government.