Morgan McSweeney quits as PM’s adviser amid Mandelson scandal

The prime minister’s chief of staff Morgan McSweeney has quit over the decision to appoint Peter Mandelson as US ambassador.

McSweeney said he accepted “full responsibility” for the appointment with police now investigating Mandelson over his links with paedophile financier Jeffrey Epstein, who died in 2019.

The publication of more of the so-called Epstein papers by the US Department of Justice has shone new light on Mandelson’s friendship with the sex offender, piling pressure on Keir Starmer.

In a statement, McSweeney said the decision to appoint Mandelson was “wrong” and had “damaged our party, our country and trust in politics itself”.

He said: “When asked, I advised the prime minister to make that appointment and I take full responsibility for that advice. In public life responsibility must be owned when it matters most, not just when it is most convenient. In these circumstances, the only honourable course is to step aside.

“This has not been an easy decision. Much has been written and said about me over the years, but my motivations have always been simple: I have worked every day to elect and support a government that puts the lives of ordinary people first and leads us to a better future for our great country.”

McSweeney, who helped mastermind Labour’s general election victory, said he remained “fully supportive” of the prime minister who he said was working to “rebuild trust and restore standards” in politics.

But SNP Westminster leader Stephen Flynn said Starmer was now a “lame duck leader”.

He added: “Whenever Keir Starmer makes a catastrophic error of judgement, someone else is always forced to carry the can.

“It won’t wash with voters this time. Advisers only advise. It was Keir Starmer who showed appalling personal judgement in appointing Peter Mandelson, despite knowing about his links to Jeffrey Epstein. This is entirely on him.

“With his own MPs calling for him to quit, Starmer is a lame duck leader. He should take personal responsibility and follow Morgan McSweeney out the door before he does any more damage.”

E-mails released as part of the Epstein papers show Mandelson appeared to forward on market-sensitive government information while serving as a senior minister in Gordon Brown’s government.

Last week Starmer told the Commons during Prime Minister’s Questions that the official security vetting for the ambassador post had mentioned the ongoing relationship with Epstein, but he said Mandelson had lied and “completely misrepresented” the extent of the relationship between the two men.

Epstein was convicted in 2008 of soliciting sex from girls as young as 14. He died in prison in 2019 while awaiting trial for sex trafficking charges. 

On Friday, detectives searched two addresses linked to Mandelson as part of their investigation into misconduct in public office.

Mandelson, 72, has not been arrested an investigations are ongoing, the Metropolitan Police said.