𝓤𝓷𝓲𝓽𝓮𝓭 𝓝𝓮𝔀𝓼

Mr McSweeney said the decision to appoint the peer as US ambassador was wrong and that he took “full responsibility” for advising Sir Keir to go ahead. The PM has faced questions over his judgment after he handed Lord Mandelson the Washington job despite knowing that his dealings with Jeffrey Epstein continued after the financier’s conviction for child sex offences.

Mr McSweeney’s departure has sparked fresh questions over Sir Keir’s future in 10 Downing Street.

Reform UK leader Nigel Farage predicted that the Prime Minister “won’t be far behind” his top adviser.

The Clacton MP 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.”

Meanwhile, Labour MP Brian Leishman said Sir Keir should consider following Mr McSweeney out the door.

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Lord Mandelson was sacked from the Washington job last year over his links to Epstein.

But there has been fresh scrutiny after new documents showed he leaked information to the financier while he was a government minister.

Mr McSweeney’s resignation is the second of a chief of staff to Sir Keir, after Sue Gray quit in 2024, and the latest in a slew of departures from No 10 in recent months.