UK's Starmer prepares to host Trump as Epstein, tax scandal clouds loom overhead

Donald Trump is flying into the UK on Tuesday for his second state visit as president, but the timing could not be worse for Prime Minister Keir Starmer.

The trip, already controversial, now collides with two scandals inside Starmer’s government that are shaking Downing Street. His ambassador to Washington, Peter Mandelson, was just fired over long-hidden ties to Jeffrey Epstein.

A week earlier, Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner was forced out over a tax scandal. It’s all unfolding just three days before Trump’s arrival, and the UK government is scrambling.

According to Bloomberg, Trump’s visit was confirmed earlier this year inside the Oval Office, when both Starmer and Mandelson viewed it as a diplomatic win. But the mood in London has shifted. The president is now arriving in a capital where the ruling party looks fractured.

Mandelson’s emails with Epstein, more than 100 previously unknown messages, surfaced last week. That pushed Starmer to sack him less than 24 hours after expressing “full confidence” in his envoy. Starmer told Parliament Mandelson was doing crucial work on “one of our foremost relationships.” The next day, Mandelson was out.

Mandelson fired, Rayner gone, Starmer cornered

Angela was removed over a separate scandal just one week before. Her departure triggered a cabinet reshuffle that only raised more tensions. Labour backbenchers said it concentrated more power in the hands of Starmer’s aide Morgan McSweeney, especially over party whips.

Several MPs said they no longer feel safe speaking to the whips at all. They’re warning that if Starmer tries to slash welfare spending again, he might not have enough support in Parliament to survive a rebellion.

Inside No. 10, one MP told Bloomberg “Operation Save Keir” has already started. Another Labour figure said Starmer’s government feels like the final days of the Conservatives, but Labour’s only been in power for 14 months.

Pollster Keiran Pedley from Ipsos said Labour’s reputation on competence now looks like “the previous Conservative government.” He tied that to the deputy leadership drama, rapid resignations, and public confusion about who’s in charge.

Trump visit throws fuel on Labour fire

Trump is flying into a firestorm. The UK economy is in trouble. Businesses like Merck and Ineos are pulling out. Chancellor Rachel Reeves is about to unveil a November budget expected to raise taxes to settle bond markets.

But it could also choke growth. Some Labour lawmakers are already nervous about how this will affect investors watching from abroad. The UK’s political crisis isn’t just domestic anymore.

The Labour convention later this month is another hurdle. Starmer will face direct pressure from rivals within his party. If he’s weak on stage, it could open the door to a leadership fight. But before that, he has to deal with Trump.

The president will meet King Charles III on Wednesday in what officials hope will be a distraction. There will also be a joint tech partnership announced, backed by Nvidia’s Jensen Huang and OpenAI’s Sam Altman. That deal, ironically, was orchestrated by Mandelson before his firing.

UK officials are bracing for Trump to speak freely. In June, he dropped trade documents during a photo-op, forcing Starmer to bend down and pick them up, which made British headlines for all the wrong reasons.

He could weigh in again; on free speech, after a recent comedian was arrested over a social media post, or immigration, which he said was “ruining Europe” during a summer visit to Scotland.

Both topics are weak spots for Starmer, who hasn’t convinced voters he’s got a better plan than Nigel Farage to control UK borders.

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