LONDON — Embattled British Prime Minister Keir Starmer suffered a fresh blow Sunday as his chief of staff, Morgan McSweeney, resigned over the controversial appointment of Peter Mandelson as ambassador to Washington — a move that has reignited scrutiny of Mandelson’s ties to convicted U.S. sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
McSweeney, long regarded as one of the most influential figures behind Labour’s landslide election victory in July 2024, said in a statement: “After careful reflection, I have decided to resign from the government. 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 48-year-old strategist, often described as “the most powerful man in politics,” played a pivotal role in reshaping Labour toward the political center after Jeremy Corbyn’s leftist tenure. His departure underscores the mounting pressure on Starmer as the Mandelson scandal deepens.
Mandelson, a veteran Labour figure and former EU trade commissioner, was dismissed last September over his friendship with Epstein. Yet his brief tenure as ambassador reportedly came with a severance package worth between $52,000 and $74,000, now under review by the Foreign Office.
Fresh documents released by the U.S. Justice Department on January 30 suggest Mandelson leaked confidential UK government information to Epstein during the 2008 financial crisis. British police have since launched an investigation into the 72-year-old for alleged misconduct in public office.
Cabinet Minister Pat McFadden defended Starmer’s leadership, calling the appointment a “terrible mistake” but insisting the blame lay with Mandelson himself. Opposition leaders, however, seized on the crisis. Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch posted on X: “Keir Starmer has to take responsibility for his own terrible decisions. But he never does.” Liberal Democrat leader Daisy Cooper echoed that sentiment, saying: “The Prime Minister can change his advisers all he likes, but the buck stops with him.”
Nigel Farage, leader of Reform UK, predicted Starmer’s downfall, declaring: “My money says Starmer won’t be far behind after Labour’s disaster in the elections this coming May.” Meanwhile, reports suggest Deputy Prime Minister David Lammy privately opposed Mandelson’s appointment due to his Epstein links, signaling cracks within Starmer’s inner circle.
Labour, in power for just 18 months, is now trailing Farage’s Reform UK by double digits in opinion polls, as voters vent frustration over immigration, economic stagnation, and the cost-of-living crisis.
Mandelson, who resigned from the House of Lords, is among several prominent figures embarrassed by the latest Epstein files. His lawyers at Mishcon de Reya issued a statement saying he “regrets, and will regret until his dying day, that he believed Epstein’s lies about his criminality.” They added: “Lord Mandelson did not discover the truth about Epstein until after his death in 2019. He is profoundly sorry that powerless and vulnerable women and girls were not given the protection they deserved.”
The resignation of McSweeney — Starmer’s closest aide and chief strategist — leaves the Prime Minister politically exposed. With Labour’s poll numbers sliding and the opposition sharpening its attacks, the scandal threatens to derail Starmer’s premiership just as the party faces crucial elections in May.
