Peter Mandelson’s sacking over his links to Jeffrey Epstein is the latest in a series of controversies that have dogged Labour since it took power.
From ministerial resignations and arrests to high-profile U-turns and internal rebellions, the party has faced repeated questions over judgment, conduct, and the handling of sensitive political issues.
Here are the 16 controversies that have hit Labour since it took power last year.
Just weeks after the general election, seven Labour MPs, including John McDonnell, Richard Burgon, Ian Byrne and Rebecca Long-Bailey, were suspended for six months after voting in favour of an SNP amendment calling for the two-child benefit cap to be scrapped. The amendment was defeated 363 to 103.
Four of the MPs had the Labour whip restored, while the remainder now sit as independents.
August 2024: Keir Starmer’s freebies scandal
Starmer faced heavy criticism for accepting a range of high-value gifts and hospitality, with much of the focus on those provided by prominent Labour donor Lord Waheed Alli.
It was revealed that Alli had provided glasses and clothes to Starmer, given him use of a London flat during the election and paid for outfits for the Prime Minister’s wife. Official declarations showed that Starmer had accepted over £107,145 worth of gifts, benefits, and hospitality since the 2019 general election.
All the donations were within parliamentary rules, but dented trust in the early days of the Government.
Sue Gray resigned as Starmer’s chief of staff after months of criticism over her handling of the freebies scandal, claims of friction in No 10, and scrutiny over her salary being higher than the Prime Minister’s. Morgan McSweeney, then head of political strategy, was appointed to replace her.
Gray was initially offered a new role as the Prime Minister’s envoy for the regions and nations, but this position never materialised. She has since been appointed to the House of Lords.
October 2024: Mike Amesbury’s arrest and by-election
Mike Amesbury was arrested over a street assault after footage was published of him appearing to punch a constituent. He later pleaded guilty to assault and was given a suspended custodial sentence.
He resigned his seat in March 2025, triggering the Runcorn and Helsby by-election that saw Reform secure a narrow win from Labour.
Sue Gray resigned from her position as Downing Street chief of staff (Photo: Stefan Rousseau/PA Wire)Louise Haigh quit as transport secretary after it emerged she had pleaded guilty to fraud by false representation in 2014, following an investigation by her former employer, Aviva, into a missing work phone.
Haigh, who was the youngest person appointed to Starmer’s cabinet, became the first person to leave it five months after Labour’s election landslide.
January 2025: Tulip Siddiq’s resignation
In December 2024, Bangladeshi authorities named Siddiq in an investigation against her aunt, the country’s former prime minister Sheikh Hasina, alleging she was linked to a corrupt agreement with Russia in 2013, which reportedly resulted in the embezzlement of up to £3.9bn from the £10bn project.
It was later revealed that she had lived in London flats linked to allies of her aunt’s regime, which was facing charges of corruption and human rights abuses, including accusations of crimes against humanity.
Siddiq resigned in January 2025 despite being found not to have breached the Ministerial Code by the Prime Minister’s ethics advisor over her links to her aunt.
Reeves faced scrutiny after it emerged that her LinkedIn profile had overstated her experience in her past role at the Bank of England.
She had described herself as an economist who led major projects, but officials clarified she had worked in more junior analytical roles. Reeves amended her profile and apologised for the inaccuracies.
February 2025: Andrew Gwynne’s sacking
Andrew Gwynne was removed from his role as a health minister and suspended by Labour after private WhatsApp messages resurfaced in which he used offensive language, including wishing for a pensioner’s death and claiming a constituent’s name “sounds too Jewish”.
It was alleged that Gwynne made the comments in a WhatsApp messaging group with other local party figures.
Chancellor of the Exchequer Rachel Reeves was accused of exaggerating her past role at the Bank of England (Photo: Justin Tallis /AFP/Getty)Labour’s international development minister Anneliese Dodds resigned after the Government cut overseas aid from 0.5 per cent to 0.3 per cent of GDP.
Labour had pledged at the election to raise international aid to 0.7 per cent of GDP as soon as finances allowed, but chose instead to cut it to redirect funds towards defence spending.
April 2025: Dan Norris’s arrest and suspension
Dan Norris, the MP for North East Somerset, was arrested by police on suspicion of rape, child sex offences, child abduction and misconduct in a public office.
He was suspended from the Labour Party and banned from the parliamentary estate while inquiries continued.
Shortly after the election, Reeves announced that she would cut winter fuel payments for millions of pensioners, prompting intense backlash from charities and opposition parties.
Almost a year later, she announced that all pensioners with an annual income of £35,000 or less will have their winter fuel payments restored this winter, marking a major U-turn.
June 2025: Grooming gangs inquiry U-turn
After months of resisting, the government accepted all 12 recommendations from Baroness Casey’s audit, launching a statutory national inquiry into group-based child sexual abuse.
The Prime Minister had come under intense pressure, including from tech billionaire Elon Musk, to launch an inquiry, but had spent months insisting one was not needed.
Rushanara Ali resigned as homelessness minister following revelations about her actions as a landlord (Photo: Matthew Lloyd/Bloomberg /Getty)The government reversed plans to tighten eligibility for the Personal Independence Payment (PIP) just hours before a Commons vote. In a last-minute concession, the government said it would not finalise changes in eligibility for PIP until a review into the welfare system was completed, and that current claimants would be protected.
Over 100 Labour MPs had called for the proposals to be rethought, and only 47 ultimately rebelled on the legislation.
August 2025: Rushanara Ali’s resignation
Rushanara Ali resigned as homelessness minister after The i Paper revealed that tenants had been evicted from a property she owned and then re-let at a higher rent.
Ali claimed that she had “at all times” followed “all legal requirements” and taken her responsibilities “seriously”.
She was accused of hypocrisy by charities and advocacy groups, as the Government’s renters’ rights bill, which is due to come into force next year, will ban landlords who have ended a tenancy to sell a property from relisting it for a higher rent.
Rayner resigned from her roles as deputy prime minister, housing secretary and deputy Labour leader after the prime minister’s ethics adviser, Laurie Magnus, concluded that she had breached the Ministerial Code over her tax affairs.
The investigation came about after it was revealed she had avoided paying £40,000 in stamp duty when purchasing a property in Hove.
She was replaced as deputy prime minister by David Lammy, and a deputy leadership contest was launched to fill her party role.
September 2025: Peter Mandelson’s Epstein links and sacking
Newly published documents, including a 2003 “birthday book” letter and emails from 2008, showed Mandelson defended peadophile financier Jeffrey Epstein, called him “my best pal,” and urged him to challenge his conviction for child sexual offences.
Starmer, who had defended him days earlier, sacked him once the full extent of the correspondence became clear.
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