Labour MP Jo White has said that Sir Keir Starmer has made the “biggest mistake of his life” by appointing Peter Mandelson as Ambassador to the USA and said he must commit to clean up politics.

She also told GB News that Labour would be “punished” at the next general election if small boats crossing the Channel are not stopped.

Asked if she agrees with MPs who have said that it is time for the Prime Minister to quit, she said: “Obviously I’ve heard these conversations at the sidelines.

“I came to my office in the constituency this morning. I asked my staff, how many people have contacted me about this, this issue, I’ve received precisely 11 emails.

“I’ve been out and about in my constituency, speaking to local residents, and nobody has said to me they think it’s time for Keir Starmer to go. They obviously expressed concerns about exactly what’s happened and the way where we are now.

“But people have said to me, there’s a big job of work to be done, and their focus is on sorting out the cost of living crisis, and I met with the Red Wall group with Sir Keir yesterday, and our discussion wasn’t about Peter Mandelson. Our focus was on re-building industry and growth in our constituencies.”

She added: “He’s made the biggest mistake of his life. He’s admitted that, and I think that the biggest thing he has to do is re-iterate his commitment to clean up our politics, because we can only re-build trust if we cleanse ourselves of the problems.

“You don’t give people that served in your government or in Number 10 jobs. There should be no expectation.

“For example, if I have staff who’ve done well, I don’t look out where they’re going to go next. I might give them a bit of a pay rise. I might give them a box of chocolates.”

Asked if she would advise Sir Keir against seeking to reward close associates with plum political positions, she said: “Yes, absolutely. It makes me even stronger in my commitment that we should have an elected House of Lords.”

On Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood’s plans to tackle illegal immigration, she said: “She understands what’s needed to be done and and she’s prepared to argue for it, both in government, in cabinet, and she’s prepared to argue with MPs who have a slightly different perspective than what I do.

“I welcome that we have Shabana in that place focusing on the job that needs to be done, which is stopping those illegal boats coming over.

“I say to my colleagues who have that very different perspective than me, that if we don’t sort this out at the next general election, we will be punished for it.

“We have to be quite brutal about that, and whilst they may be comfortable on the Opposition benches, that’s not where I want to be.

“I want to be in government, sorting out this country, re-building pride in where we live and what we do, making sure that we have a very, very strong defence and part of that defence is building British and growing British food.

“My job is to deliver for our country, and I do not want any of us to be sitting on the comfortable opposition benches, doing that.”