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Morgan McSweeney has resigned from his position as Sir Keir Starmer’s chief of staff, following increased scrutiny of his role in the appointment of Lord Mandelson as the UK’s ambassador to the US.
The Prime Minister’s advisor had faced growing pressure due to his advocacy for the former minister’s appointment, despite public knowledge of Lord Mandelson’s association with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein at the time.
McSweeney stated that while he did not oversee the vetting process, he accepted “full responsibility” for advising the Prime Minister to appoint Lord Mandelson.
This departure leaves Sir Keir in a challenging position as he attempts to quell dissent from Labour MPs regarding the decision to appoint Lord Mandelson to the Washington role.
Sir Keir dismissed Lord Mandelson in September after emails surfaced indicating he had sent supportive messages to Epstein while the latter faced sex offense charges.
Recent revelations from the latest release of Epstein files in the US, detailing continued contact after Epstein’s 2008 conviction, have intensified internal Labour anger over the initial appointment.
Emails suggesting that Lord Mandelson leaked sensitive government information to Epstein during his tenure as a minister in the previous Labour government have also prompted a police investigation into potential misconduct in public office.
Sir Keir has acknowledged that Lord Mandelson’s prior relationship with Epstein was identified during the vetting process, while asserting that the former cabinet minister misrepresented the depth of their connection.
However, this has failed to quell the controversy, with some Labour MPs now openly calling for Sir Keir’s resignation as party leader.
York Central MP Rachael Maskell told BBC Radio 4’s Westminster Hour that the Prime Minister faces a “very tight timetable… to prove that he has got it in him to lead us forward”.
Alloa and Grangemouth MP Brian Leishman called on Sir Keir to “look at his own position” and question whether he should “resign for the good of the country and the Labour Party”.
Conversely, other figures have voiced their support for Sir Keir.
Karl Turner, Kingston upon Hull East MP, stated on BBC Radio 5 Live that Sir Keir recognizes the appointment of Lord Mandelson as “a catastrophic mistake” and “he wants to make good”.
Rugby’s MP John Slinger called for his party to “rally behind the prime minister”, adding: “We don’t ditch a leader just because the going gets tough.”
Sir Keir is scheduled to address Labour MPs privately on Monday evening during the weekly Parliamentary Labour Party meeting, seeking to reassure his backbenchers of his ability to regain control.
While earlier reports suggested a potential public address on Monday, this is not currently anticipated.
The situation coincides with Fire Brigades Union boss Steve Wright becoming the first leader of Labour’s 11 affiliated unions to publicly call for the Prime Minister’s departure.
McSweeney’s resignation represents a significant setback for Sir Keir, as the 48-year-old Irishman played a pivotal role in his successful 2020 Labour leadership bid and the party’s campaign strategy for the 2024 general election.
Downing Street has confirmed that his deputies, Jill Cuthbertson and Vidhya Alakeson, have been appointed as acting chiefs of staff following his departure.
In a statement released on Sunday, McSweeney described Lord Mandelson’s December 2024 appointment as “wrong,” stating that it had “damaged our party, our country and trust in politics itself.”
“When asked, I advised the prime minister to make that appointment and I take full responsibility for that advice,” he added.
“While I did not oversee the due diligence and vetting process, I believe that process must now be fundamentally overhauled.
“In the circumstances, the only honourable course is to step aside.”
Sources indicate that both the Prime Minister and McSweeney agreed that the timing was appropriate for his departure.
Sir Keir expressed that it had been an “honour” to work with McSweeney, acknowledging his contribution to “turning our party around” after the devastating defeat in the 2019 election.
Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch commented that McSweeney’s resignation was “about time”, but emphasized that the Prime Minister “has to take responsibility for his own terrible decisions”.
The Lib Dems stated that Sir Keir “can change his advisers all he likes, but the buck stops with him”, while Reform asserted that Labour is “just continuing the chaos we saw under the Tories”.
McSweeney’s statement followed remarks from a key Starmer ally who dismissed calls from within Labour for Sir Keir to dismiss his advisor.
Work and Pensions Secretary Pat McFadden told Laura Kuenssberg that such a move would not make “any difference at all” to the situation facing the government.
He also called on Lord Mandelson to return or donate to charity the pay-off he received after his sacking as ambassador, thought to be up to £40,000.
The BBC understands Lord Mandelson’s view is he answered questions about his relationship with Epstein in the vetting process accurately.
Email exchanges in the latest US government release on Epstein include several from Lord Mandelson during his time as a cabinet minister in the Labour government of Gordon Brown.
Among them is one that indicates Lord Mandelson gave Epstein advance notice of a €500bn bailout by the EU to save the Euro in 2010.
Another suggests he forwarded the financier an internal No 10 memo in 2009 discussing potential government asset sales in the wake of the financial crash.
Lord Mandelson has not responded to requests for comment but the BBC understands his position is that he has not acted in any way criminally and that he was not motivated by financial gain.
He has resigned as a member of the House of Lords, with the government pledging to introduce legislation required to strip him of his title.
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