Morgan McSweeney resigned as British Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s chief of staff on Sunday, stepping down amid mounting criticism over his role in advising the appointment of Peter Mandelson as Britain’s ambassador to the United States.
In a resignation statement obtained by The GuardianMcSweeney said the decision to appoint Mandelson was “wrong” and accepted full responsibility for recommending it, calling his departure the “only honorable course of action” in the circumstances.
“He [Mandelson] has damaged our party, our country and confidence in politics itself,” the former chief of staff wrote, noting that the decision to resign was not an easy one.
McSweeney said the controversy had damaged public confidence and called for a fundamental overhaul of the government’s vetting and due diligence process, while pledging his continued support for Starmer and the Labor government’s agenda.
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Downing Street Chief of Staff Morgan McSweeney arrives for the annual Lord Mayor’s Banquet at Guildhall in London on December 1, 2025. (Chris J. Ratcliffe/Reuters)
Emails and documents made public by the Justice Department in January show that Mandelson maintained contact with Jeffrey Epstein after his 2008 conviction on two felony counts of soliciting prostitution, one of which involved a minor.
This is reported by the Associated Press that newly surfaced documents indicate that Mandelson may have passed sensitive government information to Epstein in the period following the 2008 global financial crisis.
The outlet also cited documents and financial records showing that Epstein had transferred a total of $75,000 to accounts linked to Mandelson or his husband, Reinaldo Avila da Silva, in 2003 and 2004.
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, right, talks with British Ambassador to the United States Peter Mandelson during a welcome reception at the ambassador’s residence in Washington, February 26, 2025. (Carl Court/Pool photo via AP)
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Secretary of State Stephen Doughty told the House of Commons on September 11 that Starmer asked him to withdraw Mandelson as the United Kingdom’s ambassador to the United States after emails revealed that Mandelson’s relationship with Epstein was “materially different” from what was known at the time of his appointment.
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“In particular, Lord Mandelson’s suggestion that Jeffrey Epstein’s first conviction was wrongful and should be challenged is new information,” Doughty said. “In light of this and mindful, as we all are, of the victims of Epstein’s abhorrent crimes, Lord Mandelson has withdrawn as ambassador with immediate effect.”
Mandelson resigned from the Labor Party on February 1.
