Good morning. Yesterday afternoon the resignation of Keir Starmer’s chief of staff, Morgan McSweeney, added to the sense of instability surrounding Labour’s Downing Street operation, after days of damaging revelations about Peter Mandelson and renewed questions about the prime minister’s leadership.
Starmer’s personal ratings look set to fall further – and beyond the turmoil at No 10, Labour is also facing the prospect of severe losses in May’s elections for the Senedd in Wales and the parliament in Scotland. In both contests, the unpopularity of the Westminster government is exacerbating longer-term trends of Labour’s declining support.
