Exclusive: McSweeney summoned by foreign affairs select committee in rare step, as Mandelson vetting row continues
UK politics live – latest updates
Morgan McSweeney, the prime minister’s former chief of staff, has been summoned before the foreign affairs select committee as the Peter Mandelson vetting row continued to undermine Keir Starmer’s premiership.
As MPs attempt to unravel the facts, McSweeney is to appear next Tuesday to respond to allegations that Downing Street put huge pressure on the civil service to approve his appointment as the UK’s ambassador to Washington.
It is highly unusual for Downing Street chiefs of staff to appear before Commons committees even after they have left post, and the session is likely to be an explosive one as MPs are given the rare opportunity to question one of the most powerful figures in recent Labour history.
