Morgan McSweeney breaks silence surrounding scandal of Peter Mandelson's appointment
The Irish former Chief of Staff to Keir Starmer has broken his silence on the scandal surrounding Peter Mandelson’s appointment.
Mandelson was appointed as the UK Ambassador to the US, before he was fired after it emerged that he was a close friend of paedophile and disgraced financier, Jeffrey Epstein.
Mandelson was fired from the position in September and arrested in February on suspicion of misconduct in public office. This has put the UK Prime Minister under intense scrutiny — with many believing that his days as PM are numbered.
The Irish former Chief of Staff to Keir Starmer has broken his silence on the scandal surrounding Peter Mandelson’s appointment. Pic: Peter MacDiarmid/Shutterstock
It emerged that Morgan McSweeney, the Cork-born former right-hand man to Mr Starmer, had played an integral part in the appointment of Mandelson, and took a ‘dismissive’ approach to Mandelson’s appointment.
Others have suggested that Mr McSweeney reportedly called the department to say ‘just f*****g approve’ Mandelson’s appointment.
The BBC have since reported that Mr McSweeney answered questions surrounding Mandelson’s appointment at the Kyiv Security Conference on Thursday, saying that he ‘doesn’t recognise’ the character who pushed for Mandelson’s appointment.
Mandelson (left) reportedly failed security checks when he was being vetted as the UK Ambassador to the US, but was given the job anyway. Pic: PA Images
‘I don’t recognise that description of me,’ Mr McSweeney said. ‘I find it strange reading about a character with the same name as mine sometimes, but yeah, I don’t recognise that character.’
Mr McSweeney resigned as Mr Starmer’s Chief of Staff — often referred to as the most powerful job in UK politics — in February of this year, following the scandal surrounding Mandelson’s appointment and his ties to Epstein.
Mandelson was appointed as the UK Ambassador in 2024, but was let go just months later after the ties to Epstein came to light.
Mr McSweeney reportedly played a huge part in appointing Mandelson, who was let go from the position after his ties to Jeffrey Epstein emerged. Pic: Jaimi Joy/Bloomberg via Getty Images
There have since been several claims surrounding Mandelson’s vetting, including that he failed security checks, but was given the position anyway.
Mr McSweeney has since taken full responsibility for his role in appointing Mandelson, adding earlier this week: ‘I think it’s right to take responsibility when you get the call wrong.’
Mr Starmer has also apologised to the victims of Epstein over Mandelson’s appointment, claiming that Mandelson lied about his links to Epstein.
