Downing Street Chief of Staff Morgan McSweeney arrives for the annual Lady Mayor's Banquet at the Guildhall in London, Britain, December 1, 2025. CHRIS J RATCLIFFE / REUTERS
Embattled British Prime Minister Keir Starmer's chief of staff resigned on Sunday, February 8, over the appointment of Peter Mandelson as ambassador to Washington despite links to US convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
"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," Morgan McSweeney, Downing Street's chief of staff, said in a statement. "I advised the prime minister to make that appointment and I take full responsibility for that advice," he added.
The resignation came as the foreign ministry said it was reviewing an exit payment to Mandelson, who was sacked by the Labour premier last September over his friendship with the late Epstein.
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