𝓤𝓷𝓲𝓽𝓮𝓭 𝓝𝓮𝔀𝓼

Sir Keir Starmer was left fighting to save his premiership after his right-hand man quit. Morgan McSweeney resigned as the Prime Minister’s chief of staff after coming under intense pressure over the Lord Peter Mandelson fiasco.

Sir Keir’s longtime adviser had been widely blamed for the appointment of the peer to the plum US ambassador job following fresh fury over his links to billionaire paedophile Jeffrey Epstein. Mr McSweeney’s exit is another blow to the embattled Prime Minister as he faces mounting questions over his future.

Reform UK leader Nigel Farage said: “As predicted McSweeney has gone. Labour are just continuing the chaos we saw under the Tories. My money says Starmer won’t be far behind after Labour’s disaster in the elections this coming May.”

Tory leader Kemi Badenoch called on Sir Keir to “take responsibility” for his actions.

Reacting to Mr McSweeney’s resignation, she said: “It’s about time. But once again with this PM it’s somebody else’s fault: ‘Mandelson lied to me’ or ‘Morgan advised me’. Keir Starmer has to take responsibility for his own terrible decisions. But he never does.”

The Prime Minister has been criticised over his judgment for giving Lord Mandelson, dubbed the “Prince of Darkness”, the top Washington job despite knowing his relationship with Epstein continued after his conviction for child sex offences.

The peer was sacked last year over his links to Epstein but is facing renewed scrutiny after documents showed he leaked information to the financier while he was a government minister.

Mr McSweeney said the decision to appoint Lord Mandelson to the prized position was “wrong” and that he took “full responsibility” for advising Sir Keir to go ahead.

He said: “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.

“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 the 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. Only a Labour government will do that.

“I leave with pride in all we have achieved mixed with regret at the circumstances of my departure. But I have always believed there are moments when you must accept your responsibility and step aside for the bigger cause.”

Sir Keir said he owed Mr McSweeney a “debt of gratitude” and credited his “dedication, loyalty and leadership” for Labour’s 2024 general election win.

In a statement that did not mention the Lord Mandelson scandal, the Prime Minister said: “It’s been an honour working with Morgan McSweeney for many years. He turned our party around after one of its worst ever defeats and played a central role running our election campaign.

“It is largely thanks to his dedication, loyalty and leadership that we won a landslide majority and have the chance to change the country.

“Having worked closely with Morgan in opposition and in government, I have seen every day his commitment to the Labour Party and to our country. Our party and I owe him a debt of gratitude, and I thank him for his service.”

Mr McSweeney’s resignation came hours after Cabinet minister Pat McFadden was arguing on the airwaves that getting rid of him would not “make any difference at all”.

But his departure was not enough to quell disquiet among some Labour MPs.

Labour backbencher Brian Leishman suggested Sir Keir should consider whether to follow his adviser.

He said: “There must be a change in political direction and that comes from the very top, so the Prime Minister must look at his own position and question whether he should follow McSweeney’s lead one last time, and resign for the good of the country and the Labour Party.”

Left-wing Labour MP Richard Burgon said Mr McSweeney’s resignation was an “important first step”.

He added: “The Labour General Secretary must set up an independent inquiry into the practices that McSweeney and Mandelson undertook in the Labour Party.

“There is a lot to do to rid the party of the nasty factionalism that has left Labour so unpopular with the public.”

But John Slinger, an ally of Sir Keir, insisted people from across the country had told him “the last thing the country needs is leadership speculations and that we should support the Prime Minister”.

Mr McSweeney is the second chief of staff of Sir Keir to quit after Sue Gray left in 2024, and marks the latest in a series of departures from No 10.