Keir Starmer’s Chief of Staff Resigns Over Epstein-Connected Ambassador Recommendation
Why the chief of staff walked away
Morgan McSweeney handed in his resignation after acknowledging he recommended Peter Mandelson for the ambassador post in Washington — a pick that quickly turned into a political hot potato. McSweeney said the decision was wrong, accepted responsibility for the recommendation, and called resignation the only honourable option under the circumstances.
He also warned the controversy had shaken public confidence in the government and urged a rethink of vetting and due-diligence procedures, while saying he still backed the broader agenda of the administration.
The Epstein connections that sparked the uproar
Newly released emails and documents showed Mandelson stayed in touch with Jeffrey Epstein after Epstein’s 2008 conviction. Some materials suggest Mandelson might have passed along sensitive information in the years following the global financial crisis, and payment records indicate transfers totaling $75,000 in the early 2000s to accounts linked to Mandelson or his husband.
Those revelations changed the picture of Mandelson’s ties to Epstein and prompted officials to pull him from the ambassador role. Mandelson later stepped away from his party membership amid the fallout.
Political fallout and the road ahead
The episode prompted a swift backtrack: the ambassadorial appointment was withdrawn after fresh details surfaced, and attention immediately turned to damage control. Calls for stronger background checks and clearer vetting processes are now part of the conversation as the government looks to restore trust.
For now, the immediate tasks are filling the diplomatic vacancy and repairing public confidence — while everyone involved tries to avoid turning the next personnel decision into another episode of high-stakes political hot potato.