Who is Morgan McSweeney? Starmer’s right-hand man and Peter Mandelson ally | EUROtoday

Morgan McSweeney has resigned as Keir Starmer’s chief of workers – taking “full responsibility” for advising the prime minister to nominate Peter Mandelson as US ambassador.

It comes as Sir Keir faces mounting stress to resign amid controversy of Lord Mandelson’s hyperlinks to the disgraced financier and paedophile Jeffrey Epstein.

McSweeney, credited with masterminding Labour’s landslide election victory in 2024, was thought-about the driving power behind Lord Mandelson’s appointment.

His resignation has been interpreted by many as a injury limitation train in a bid to avoid wasting Mr Starmer’s premiership.

McSweeney is alleged to have had information about Mandelson’s dealings with Epstein persevering with after the financier’s conviction for little one intercourse offences.

As the prime minister’s right-hand man, Mr McSweeney was central to authorities technique and decision-making.

He was consequently seen by some as answerable for Downing Street’s failed try to manage the discharge of probably explosive paperwork detailing the appointment resolution.

“The decision to appoint Peter Mandelson was wrong,” he wrote in an announcement on Sunday saying his resignation. “He has damaged our party, our country and trust in politics itself.”

In the letter McSweeney known as for an overhaul of the vetting system, writing: “While I did not oversee the due diligence and vetting process, I believe that process must now be fundamentally overhauled. This cannot simply be a gesture but a safeguard for the future.”

Who is Morgan McSweeney?

Mr McSweeney was born in County Cork however left Ireland for London in 1994 aged 17, the place he’s stated to have initially labored on constructing websites.

He joined the Labour Party in 1997, reportedly motivated by the backing for the Good Friday Agreement which was key to the Northern Ireland peace course of.

In June 2001, he took a job as a Labour convention administrator, in response to his Linkedin profile.

Reports counsel he was later employed to work in Labour’s “attack and rebuttal unit” within the occasion’s Millbank headquarters, the place he’s stated to have been tasked with including data to Peter Mandelson’s “excalibur” database which knowledgeable marketing campaign messaging.

He can be stated to have been despatched to marginal seats to marketing campaign throughout the 2005 basic election, as his popularity as an efficient organiser and operator started to develop.

He was considered as a key determine in a profitable push, led by the present Communities Secretary Steve Reed, to oust the coalition of Liberal Democrats and Conservatives within the London borough of Lambeth.

After failing in a bid to turn into a councillor in Sutton in 2006, he was appointed head of Mr Reed’s chief’s workplace in Southwark, a job he held till October 2007.

After a stint because the director of communities at The Campaign Company consultancy, Mr McSweeney joined the Local Government Association as a political adviser and was later appointed head of the organisation’s Labour group workplace, a place he held till 2017.

During that point, he ran Liz Kendall’s management marketing campaign in 2015 which resulted within the present Science Secretary ending fourth.

Mr McSweeney was appointed director of the Labour Together suppose tank in 2017, sharing a spot on the board with Mr Reed and present Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy.

At the time he’s stated to have declared his intention to maneuver the occasion, then led by Jeremy Corbyn, “from the hard left” and “build a sustainable winning electoral coalition”.

But later Mr McSweeney got here beneath scrutiny over monetary irregularities throughout his position at Labour Together.

In 2021, the Electoral Commission fined the suppose tank £14,250 for failing to ship donation stories inside 30 days, inaccurately reporting donations and failing to nominate a accountable particular person inside 30 days of accepting a donation.

The Conservatives known as for the regulator to revisit the case in September final yr after emails, seemingly despatched by a Labour Together lawyer to Mr McSweeney, have been leaked.

Despite the Conservative Party chairman Kevin Holinrake suggesting the emails may function proof that the Electoral Commission had been misled, the regulator stated a assessment of the data had not offered “evidence of any other potential offences”.

Mr McSweeney was appointed to run Sir Keir’s profitable 2020 management marketing campaign and initially grew to become his chief of workers.

But following a poor Labour displaying within the Chesham and Amersham by-election in 2021, he was moved to a strategic position within the chief’s workplace however is claimed to have remained a key adviser.

After being appointed as Labour’s director of campaigns in September 2021, Mr McSweeney is claimed to have been behind a push to impose a brand new centralised long-listing of parliamentary candidates, a course of thought-about as an try to lock out these on the left of the occasion.

Labour’s election victory in 2024 resulted in Mr McSweeney being appointed to the shared position of head of political technique.

Reports later steered rigidity had developed between Mr McSweeney after which chief of workers Sue Gray however Labour sources offered contradictory opinions on the connection on the time.

Following Ms Gray’s resignation, Mr McSweeney was appointed Downing Street chief of workers in October 2024.

Mr Starmer stated of his resignation: “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.”