Morgan McSweeney quits: Keir Starmer’s right-hand man resigns as Downing Street chief of workers over Mandelson scandal | EUROtoday

Morgan McSweeney has resigned as Keir Starmer’s Downing Street chief of workers over his function within the appointment of Peter Mandelson as US ambassador.

Sir Keir’s right-hand man, who was credited with masterminding Labour’s landslide election victory in 2024, has stepped down from his function, claiming he takes “full responsibility” for the recommendation to rent Lord Mandelson.

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In his place, Sir Keir has appointed Vidhya Alakeson and Jill Cuthbertson as his joint chiefs of workers. And in a determined bid to forestall Labour MPs transferring towards him the prime minister introduced he would deal with your complete parliamentary Labour celebration on Monday and the group of girls Labour MPs on Wednesday.

It comes amid mounting strain on the prime minister over the scandal and is already being perceived as a harm limitation train to avoid wasting Sir Keir’s premiership. An Opinium ballot over the weekend confirmed that 55 per cent consider the prime minister ought to go too.

Mr McSweeney was seen as instrumental within the appointment of Lord Mandelson to a very powerful diplomatic publish, a choice which has turn into a humiliation for the federal government following the newest revelations about his relationship with convicted paedophile and financier Jeffrey Epstein.

In an announcement, Mr McSweeney stated: “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.”

Insisting that he “leaves with pride”, he referred to as for a whole overhaul of the vetting procedures sooner or later, warning that they “cannot simply be a gesture but a safeguard”.

Sir Keir stated: “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.”

But the choice leaves Sir Keir significantly weakened, with the person on the coronary heart of the Starmer undertaking out of presidency, and there are questions over whether or not the prime minister can survive in Downing Street with out his right-hand man.

Just 5 days in the past in response to a query by Tory chief Kemi Badenoch at PMQs, Sir Keir gave Mr McSweeney a vote of confidence.

He stated: “Morgan McSweeney is an essential part of my team. He helped me change the Labour Party and win an election. I have confidence in him.”

Ms Badenoch stated that the resignation now raises much more questions concerning the prime minister himself.

She stated: “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.”

Liberal Democrat deputy chief Daisy Cooper MP stated: “The prime minister can change his advisers all he likes, but the buck stops with him.”

Reform UK, which could trigger Starmer’s downfall if it wins the crucial Gorton and Denton by-election on 26 February, said the resignation “confirms the chaos at the heart of Starmer’s government”.

Labour MP Brian Leishman said: “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.”

It came despite Mr McSweeney’s closest cabinet ally, welfare secretary Pat McFadden, insisting on Sunday morning that he should not go, while former home secretary Lord Blunkett demanded he be sacked.

Meanwhile, quite a few main feminine Labour figures, together with Baroness Ayesha Hazarika, condemned “the boys’ club” in Downing Street.

It is known that after a fraught week in politics, the PM and Mr McSweeney mutually determined that it was the proper second to maneuver on.

Sources emphasised that the federal government’s coverage agenda has not modified – a relentless give attention to value of residing and Sir Keir might be fronting efforts in that regard within the coming week.

Meanwhile, Sir Keir plans to ship an replace on motion taken over the Mandelson scandal on Monday.

Mr McSweeney, 48, had already been going through calls for to resign as not too long ago as December, following a hostile briefing from No 10 officers about well being secretary Wes Streeting.

Paul Ovenden, an in depth ally of his, was sacked from Downing Street when emails with lurid remarks about veteran Labour MP Diane Abbott emerged.

But the outgoing chief of workers has needed to fall on his sword after pushing for Lord Mandelson to be made ambassador final 12 months, regardless of considerations from Donald Trump’s administration and pink flags raised by the safety companies over the previous Labour grandee’s hyperlinks to China and Epstein.

Revelations that the peer leaked confidential and market-sensitive authorities materials to Epstein have led to a police investigation and compelled him to give up Labour and the House of Lords.

As outrage grew final week, Sir Keir was compelled to launch all of the vetting paperwork referring to the appointment.

Mr McSweeney has been accused of wanting to duplicate the Tony Blair period of presidency and relied on large beasts from that interval, together with Lord Mandelson, who had been his mentor.

To make issues worse, when Sir Keir sacked the ambassador to Washington in September final 12 months, it’s understood that Mr McSweeney pleaded to maintain him in publish.

He had already precipitated controversy by ousting the earlier chief of workers, Sue Gray, and changing her just some months into the federal government.

As the person who ran the election marketing campaign in 2024, Mr McSweeney was blamed for the overpromising within the manifesto, which is, partly, liable for the varied U-turns in latest months and for pushing welfare cuts.

In his 18 months in cost, assist for the Labour authorities plummeted to beneath 20 per cent within the polls.

But Glasgow South MP Gordon McKee got here out to defend him, saying: “I have known him personally for six years, and he is one of the most decent people that I’ve ever met in politics.”