UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s chief of staff resigns over appointment Peter Mandelson Mandelson became ambassador to the United States after documents revealed his ties to late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

“After careful consideration, I have decided to resign from the government. The decision to appoint Peter Mandelson was the wrong decision. He undermines trust in our party, our country and in politics itself,” Starmer’s top aide Morgan McSweeney said in a statement on Sunday.

He added: “I recommended to the Prime Minister that he make this appointment and I take full responsibility for that recommendation.”

Labor MPs in Parliament called for McSweeney to resign following the introduction of the new bill. evidence The U.S. Department of Justice released documents and photos from its latest investigation into the American financier, revealing Mandelson’s relationship with Epstein. Lawmakers blamed McSweeney for the damage caused by Mandelson’s appointment and the publication of his crude exchanges with Epstein.

McSweeney, 48, is a protégé and friend of Mandelson and has been accused by some Labor MPs and his political opponents of failing to ensure proper background checks are carried out when appointing ambassadors.

Starmer said in a statement on Sunday that it was “a privilege” to work with McSweeney, who has been chief of staff since October 2024.

Mandelson’s payout

Mandelson was sacked by Starmer in September over his friendship with Epstein and also quit the Labor Party and the House of Lords last week. The Foreign and Commonwealth Office said it was reviewing the severance package paid to him following his sacking.

Mandelson, who has been a key figure in British politics and the Labor Party for decades, was paid between about 38,750 pounds and 55,000 pounds (about $52,000 to $74,000) just seven months after taking office, according to the Sunday Times.

Documents released by the U.S. Department of Justice on January 30 appear to show that Mandelson allegedly leaked confidential British government information to Epstein while he was a British minister, including during the 2008 financial crisis.

The Foreign Office said in a statement that Mandelson’s severance package had been reviewed “in light of further information that has now been disclosed and ongoing police investigations”.

Mandelson’s lawyer said he “regrets that he believed Epstein’s lies about his crimes and will regret it until the day he dies.”

A spokesman for Mandelson’s law firm, Mishcon de Reya, said: “Lord Mandelson did not discover the truth about Epstein until after his death in 2019.”

The law firm added: “He deeply regrets that powerless and vulnerable women and girls are not receiving the protection they deserve.”

Starmer’s political future in jeopardy?

McSweeney’s departure raises questions about the future direction of the government, less than two years after Labor won one of the largest parliamentary majorities in modern British history.

With opinion polls showing Starmer already deeply unpopular with voters and some within his own party openly questioning his judgment and future, it remains to be seen whether McSweeney’s exit will be enough to quell his critics.

Cabinet minister Pat McFadden earlier insisted Starmer should remain in office despite making a “horrible mistake” in appointing Mandelson.

The close Starmer ally told the broadcaster the party should stick to the Prime Minister’s stance.

“He (Starmer) should be realistic and admit that this is a terrible story and this appointment was a terrible mistake,” Work and Pensions Secretary McFadden told BBC television.

He said the real responsibility “lies squarely with Peter Mandelson” who offered the job despite knowing the depth of his ties to Epstein.

But Starmer’s deputy David Lammy has become the first cabinet minister to distance himself from Starmer, The Sunday Telegraph reports.

The report quoted Lamy’s friend as saying that the deputy prime minister was not in favor of Mandelson’s appointment because of his well-known relationship with Epstein.