The Bunker – News without the nonsense Morganised Chaos – Start Your Week with Gavin Esler
Feb 9, 2026
Gavin Esler, broadcaster and political commentator known for incisive analysis, previews the week ahead. He dissects the Mandelson/Epstein fallout and Labour’s leadership peril. He looks at key electoral tests, the assisted dying bill’s crucial Lords fights, Tulsi Gabbard’s DNI controversy, media layoffs, Cuba’s crisis, climate-linked flooding and a quirky FA Cup clash.
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Scandal Swamps Substantive Policy
- The Mandelson/Epstein fallout could destabilise Keir Starmer despite him not being personally implicated.
- Gavin Esler warns the scandal and poor communications are swamping government's substantive policies and hurting Starmer's standing.
Stabilise Internal Support First
- Talk to your MPs and shore up internal party support before rushing leadership changes.
- Gavin Esler implies Starmer should avoid sudden leadership moves amid imminent electoral tests.
Two-Party Myth Meets Multi-Party Reality
- Britain's party system is no longer a stable two-party contest but a fragmented multi-party reality.
- Esler notes this fragmentation makes election outcomes and leadership resilience much harder to predict.