Starmer’s Chief of Staff Resigns Over Mandelson Appointment Ties to Epstein
Starmer’s Chief of Staff Resigns Over Mandelson Appointment Ties to Epstein
McSweeney steps down after advising Mandelson’s Washington envoy appointment amid Epstein links, intensifying scrutiny of Labour leadership.
Morgan McSweeney, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s Chief of Staff, resigned on Sunday, taking full responsibility for advising Starmer to appoint Peter Mandelson as Britain’s envoy to Washington. Mandelson was sacked in September after the extent of his links to sex-offender Jeffrey Epstein became publicly known. A tranche of Epstein-related documents released on January 30 revealed further details of the association between Epstein and Mandelson. Mandelson has denied wrongdoing. The U.K. foreign office is set to review a pay-off linked to the Epstein-connected envoy.
McSweeney’s resignation letter said the decision to appoint Mandelson was wrong and damaged the party, the country, and trust in politics. He added that he did not oversee the due diligence process and called for that process to be overhauled. The Mandelson affair had prompted opposition calls for Starmer to resign, even as Labour maintained leads in opinion polls following the 2024 general election victory.
Following the January 30 document release, the Metropolitan Police launched a criminal investigation into Mandelson for misconduct related to the alleged sharing of market-sensitive documents in 2009 and 2010. Starmer apologized to Epstein’s victims for believing Mandelson’s “lies,” saying the depths of Mandelson’s relationship with Epstein were not known to him. The episode raises questions about governance, due diligence, and accountability within Labour as the party navigates its foreign-policy team and public trust ahead of future electoral battles.
