Keir Starmer is finished - and he's being taken down by 1 man

Conservative MP Esther McVey has senstationally revealed who the mystery architect could be behind accusations against one of Sir Keir Starmer's closest allies which threaten the PM's position in Number 10. Downing Street has been rocked in recent days by allegations towards the Prime Minister's Chief of Staff, Morgan McSweeney, alleging he misled the Electoral Commission over donations made to Labour Together

Labour Together is a movement Mr McSweeney formed in 2017 that helped Sir Keir win leadership of the Labour Party. The Electoral Commission found a series of breaches by the group for failing to declare almost £740,000 in donations under Mr McSweeney's watch and hit it with a £14,250 fine in September 2021.

But the Tories claim a leaked email from a lawyer to Mr McSweeney suggested Sir Keir's right-hand man had sought to mislead the watchdog.

Speaking to Express Assistant Editor JJ Anisiobi on the, Ms McVey said the Labour Party conference in Liverpool this weekend was going to be "fireworks", adding that even as a Tory MP she had been given briefings about "how bad" the conference was going to be. She said: "First thing I heard is, Starmer doesn't even want to be in Liverpool, and he asked, 'why are we still going to Liverpool?'."

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Expanding on the tip-off, the MP for Tatton said the PM was loath to visit Merseyside as it was very much "Corbynista" territory. The grassroots Labour support is more far-left, leaning towards the likes of Jeremy Corbyn and Andy Burnham rather than Sir Keir's camp.

However, aside from the Prime Minister's alleged misgivings about the city hosting the Labour conference, Ms McVey revealed the real story was where the mounting pressure of Sir Keir's inner circle was coming from.

She added: "There are leakings and briefings against the key people, his support team in Number 10. Against Morgan McSweeney, what happened with that £740,000 worth of donations, this goes back to 2017.

"It was 2017 when he (McSweeney) set up the organisation, Labour Together, and he was trying to use it as a vehicle to get Starmer elected as leader, which he did, and he did that successfully.

"What we are looking at now is a criminal investigation, because if he deliberately deceived the electoral commission... this is a criminal investigation, but why has it come out now?"

Ms McVey revealed the name being given to her for the person behind the new attacks on Sir Keir's closest ally could be former US ambassador Peter Mandelson.

Continuing as JJ Anisiobi let out an audible gasp, she said, "It could be the revenge of Mandelson, because they chucked him under a bus", referring to the recent fall from grace of Mandelson and loss of his role in the US because of new photos and messages released showing his close relationship with paedophile billionaire Jeffrey Epstein.

She added: "When you get chucked under a bus, trust me, people then start to chuck you under a bus, and this is what's happening now, and they say, and that's why I say, that Starmer will also be gone.

"Because once your key players are gone, you are.

"And also his media team at Number 10 are leaving him, three have already gone and can I tell you this is worse than the worst days of Boris Johnson and Theresa May."

Lord Mandelson was sacked over the extent of his relationship with disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein. The peer's spokesperson told the BBC before his removal that his connection to Epstein had "been a matter of public record for some time".

A Labour Together spokesman previously said it "proactively raised concerns about its own reporting of donations to the Electoral Commission in 2020" and the outcome of the investigation was public knowledge.

The Electoral Commission said it had "thoroughly investigated the late reporting of donations by Labour Together" and concluded the failures occurred "without reasonable excuse" and had been "sanctioned accordingly".