PM’s former chief of staff looked far from happy when forced into the open to face Commons committee
H
e walks! He talks! He breathes! For most people, Morgan McSweeney is a quasi-mythical creature. A being that exists almost entirely in the shadows. If at all. Away from the public gaze. The legendary slayer of the Labour left, rumoured to have been shaped in the dark arts by Peter Mandelson, who went on to become the eyes and ears of the prime minister. Possibly even his brain. It was often said the only ideas Keir ever had were ones he had been force-fed by Morgan the Mighty.
But on Tuesday morning, Keir Starmer’s former chief of staff was forced out into the open, summoned to Westminster to give evidence to the foreign affairs select committee about the appointment of Peter Mandelson as US ambassador. McSweeney looked far from happy at the exposure. Head down, no eye contact with the public as he sped down the corridor. Maybe he was worried about being out and about in daylight. The darkness has been kind to his skincare regime. He looks far younger than his 49 years.
His nerves were evident. For someone who has reportedly left many bodies in his wake, he was surprisingly diffident. For his opening statement about remembering the victims and survivors of Jeffrey Epstein and apologising for his lapse in judgement in recommending Mandy, Morgan kept his arms tightly crossed. As if worried they might make a break for the doors if left unguarded. His left eye occasionally twitched. His voice, a generic middle-class Irish accent with a hint of Cork and Scots, rarely raised much beyond a whisper. He could start a second career as newsreader for RTÉ.
