Starmer’s Chief of Staff Resigns Amid Mandelson Controversy
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British Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s government is facing turmoil after the resignation of Downing Street chief of staff Morgan McSweeney over the appointment of Peter Mandelson as ambassador to Washington. The controversy centres on Mandelson’s links to convicted US sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
McSweeney announced his departure, stating, “The decision to appoint Peter Mandelson was wrong. He has damaged our party, our country and trust in politics itself. I advised the Prime Minister to make that appointment, and I take full responsibility for that advice.”
The Foreign Office is now reviewing Mandelson’s severance payment, which reportedly ranged from £38,750 to £55,000 ($52,000 to $74,000), following his dismissal last September due to his friendship with Epstein. Documents released by the US Justice Department suggest Mandelson leaked confidential UK government information to Epstein during the 2008 financial crisis, prompting a police investigation into alleged misconduct in public office.
Cabinet minister Pat McFadden insisted that Starmer should remain in office despite the “terrible mistake” in appointing Mandelson, while Deputy Prime Minister David Lammy reportedly distanced himself from the decision, citing Mandelson’s known links to Epstein.
The Labour Party, which won a landslide victory just over 18 months ago, is now trailing Nigel Farage’s Reform UK in the polls, amid criticism over immigration, economic growth, and the cost of living crisis. Reform UK has led by double-digit figures for the past year.
Mandelson, a former European Union trade commissioner and House of Lords member, resigned from the upper chamber earlier this week. He is among several prominent figures embarrassed by recent revelations of ties to Epstein, who died in jail in 2019 while facing charges of alleged sex trafficking. US officials ruled Epstein’s death a suicide.
A spokesperson for Mandelson’s legal team said he “regrets, and will regret until his dying day, that he believed Epstein’s lies about his criminality,” adding that Mandelson did not learn the truth until after Epstein’s death in 2019.
Prime Minister Starmer paid tribute to McSweeney, crediting his dedication and leadership for Labour’s landslide victory in the 2024 election.
