Epstein affair: Starmer broadcasts resignation of Cabinet Secretary Chris Wormald | EUROtoday

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer is going through the third departure of a senior staffer in just some days. Cabinet Secretary Chris Wormald resigned “by mutual consent,” the federal government mentioned in a press release. The Cabinet Secretary heads the central authority of the Cabinet Office and is taken into account the highest-ranking official within the British authorities.

Both Starmer’s chief of workers Morgan McSweeney and communications chief Tim Allan just lately resigned in fast succession. Scottish Labor chief Anas Sarwar then known as on Starmer to resign. The Prime Minister’s political future briefly appeared to be hanging within the steadiness.

The purpose for the newest authorities disaster was Starmer’s appointment of Peter Mandelson as British ambassador in Washington, whose connection to the US financier and pedo prison Jeffrey Epstein, who died in 2019, was partly identified.

According to British media, it was already anticipated that Wormald would additionally vacate his submit. After the Mandelson controversy, Starmer desires to realign his work and the crew in Downing Street.

“It has been an honor and privilege to serve as a public servant for the past 35 years,” Wormald mentioned, in keeping with the discharge. The British Prime Minister mentioned he was “very grateful” for Wormald’s “long and distinguished career” in public service.

Wormald had held the submit of cupboard secretary and the nation’s high official since December 2024, so he solely took on these duties shortly earlier than Mandelsohn was appointed ambassador. However, in his position as Cabinet Secretary, he was liable for reviewing Mandelson’s appointment. British media had additionally repeatedly reported that Starmer’s Labor authorities was sad with Wormald’s work on civil service reform.

Like Allan and McSweeney, the cupboard secretary needed to function a pawn for Starmer, wrote the conservative opposition chief Kemi Badenoch within the on-line service X. The prime minister wished to “save his own skin” by resigning.

Starmer has thus far been capable of avert his personal resignation. Important ministers supported the crisis-stricken head of presidency on Monday. But some politicians from Starmer’s occasion additionally known as for his resignation, together with Scottish Labor chief Anas Sarwar.

The extent of Mandelson’s connections to Epstein grew to become identified with the discharge of extra Epstein information by the US Department of Justice on the finish of January. According to this, Mandelson is claimed to have handed on confidential monetary information from the then Labor authorities to the US monetary investor Epstein and accepted cash from him when he was minister underneath Prime Minister Gordon Brown from 2008 to 2010.