Morgan McSweeney, the British Prime Minister's chief of staff, has resigned over the scandal surrounding the appointment of Peter Mandelson, who was friends with convicted American financier and pedophile Jeffrey Epstein, as ambassador to the United States.
„After careful consideration, I have decided to resign from the government. The decision to appoint Peter Mandelson was wrong. He has damaged our Labour Party and our country and undermined confidence in politics. After being asked, I recommended this appointment to Prime Minister Keir Starmer. I take full responsibility for that recommendation“, McSweeney said in a statement quoted by Sky News.
According to The Times, McSweeney played a key role in the appointment of Mandelson as ambassador to Washington. In the vast majority of cases in the British political system, the head of a diplomatic mission is chosen from among career diplomats. The appointment of Mandelson - one of the most influential members of the ruling Labour Party - was, however, effectively imposed by the Chancellery at 10 Downing Street, without taking into account the allegations of the British Foreign Office.
According to Sky News journalist Beth Rigby, McSweeney resigned in order to “save the Prime Minister“. However, she stressed that after the departure of the 48-year-old McSweeney, Starmer's Chancellery is likely to be in “complete chaos“, since it was the chief of staff who largely coordinated and directed the work of the government.
McSweeney has taken up his post since October 2024. Previously, he was Starmer's chief adviser. McSweeney is considered the architect of the Labour Party's election campaign for the July 2024 general election, which allowed Labour to return to power after 14 years in opposition.
The figure of Mandelson
On 3 February, Scotland Yard opened a criminal investigation into Mandelson, who is suspected of providing confidential information to the British government to Epstein. According to British media outlets that have reviewed Epstein's file, Mandelson shared confidential information with him in 2009 about the Labour government's tax reform, and also revealed to him the upcoming EU aid program for southern European countries that were hit hardest by the global financial crisis. On 6 February, police raided two of Mandelson's homes.
Mandelson was appointed British ambassador to the United States in February 2025. He was removed from the post in September after new details of his friendship with Epstein came to light. He was a member of the House of Commons (the lower house of the British parliament) from 1992 to 2004 and was Secretary of State for Northern Ireland in Tony Blair's government from 1999 to 2001. Mandelson then served as European Commissioner for Trade (2004–2008) and Secretary of State for Business and Commerce (2008–2010) in Gordon Brown's cabinet. In 2008, he was elected to the House of Lords (the upper house).
On 1 February 2026, Mandelson announced his resignation from the Labour Party. On 3 February, he also announced his resignation from the House of Lords. He retains his title of Lord, but the government has already announced emergency legislation to strip Mandelson of his life peerage.
Epstein was arrested by New York State law enforcement on 6 July 2019. Prosecutors say they have evidence that between 2002 and 2005, he arranged visits to his Manhattan home for dozens of underage girls, the youngest of whom was 14 years old. Epstein's circle of friends and acquaintances includes numerous current and retired officials not only from the United States but also from many other countries (including former heads of state), prominent business leaders, and celebrities from show business. The financier's criminal prosecution in the United States was dropped after he committed suicide in his prison cell in August 2019.