McSweeney steps down as Starmer’s chief of staff

MORGAN McSweeney has resigned as Sir Keir Starmer’s chief of staff after coming under fire in the Lord Peter Mandelson scandal.

- SOPHIE WINGATE Press Association

The Prime Minister’s right-hand man had faced intensifying calls from within the Labour Party to go after being blamed by many for pushing the appointment of his ally Lord Mandelson as ambassador to the US, despite knowing that his dealings with Jeffrey Epstein continued after the financier’s conviction for child sex offences.

The loss of his longtime adviser will come as a blow to Sir Keir, whose own political future has been thrown into jeopardy amid questions of his judgment in picking Lord Mandelson as his top diplomat in Washington.

Sir Keir credited Mr McSweeney's “dedication, loyalty and leadership” for Labour’s 2024 general election win, as he expressed a “debt of gratitude” in a statement that did not mention the Lord Mandelson fiasco.

In his exit statement, Mr McSweeney said the decision to appoint Lord Mandelson to the job was “wrong” and that he took “full responsibility” for advising Sir Keir to go ahead.

He also called for an overhaul of the vetting procedures, which apparently failed to disprove what No 10 has called Lord Mandelson’s “lies” about barely knowing Epstein.