British Prime Minister Keir Starmer's chief of staff, Morgan McSweeney, resigned on Sunday after admitting that he had advised the appointment of Peter Mandelson as ambassador to Washington, a decision criticized for his past ties to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

First modification: 02/08/2026 - 22:09

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The shocks of the revelations in the files of the Jeffrey Epstein case tighten the siege on the questioned British Prime Minister Keir Starmer. This Sunday, February 8, his chief of staff submitted his resignation after "taking responsibility" for the appointment of Peter Mandelson as ambassador to Washington, despite his ties to convicted American sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

"After careful reflection, I have decided to resign from the government. The decision to appoint Peter Mandelson was wrong. It has damaged our party, our country and confidence in politics itself," Downing Street chief of staff Morgan McSweeney said in a statement.

"I advised the Prime Minister to make that appointment and I take full responsibility for that recommendation," he added.

The resignation came after the Foreign Office announced it was reviewing an exit payment to Mandelson, who was sacked by the Labor prime minister last September over his friendship with the late Epstein.

Mandelson, a key figure in British politics and the Labor Party for decades, received an estimated compensation of between £38,750 and £55,000 ($52,000 to $74,000) after just seven months in office, according to a Sunday Times report.

Documents released on January 30 by the US Department of Justice appear to show that Mandelson allegedly leaked confidential British government information to financier Epstein when Epstein was a British minister, including during the 2008 financial crisis.

Starmer, under pressure

The revelation has put intense pressure on Starmer and triggered a police investigation into Mandelson, 72, for alleged misconduct in public office.

The Foreign Office said in a statement that it had launched a review of Mandelson's severance pay "in light of the additional information revealed and the ongoing police investigation."

Cabinet minister Pat McFadden previously insisted Starmer must remain in office despite his "terrible mistake" in appointing Mandelson.

"He (Starmer) should be realistic and accept that this has been a terrible story, that this appointment was a terrible mistake," declared the Secretary of Work and Pensions and a close ally of the British premier, to the BBC.

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He added that the real blame lay "squarely with Peter Mandelson," who ran for office despite knowing the extent of his relationship with Epstein.

According to British media, Vidhya Alakeson and Jill Cuthbertson, current deputy chiefs of staff, will jointly assume McSweeney's duties on an interim basis.

Starmer expresses "gratitude" to Mc Sweeney

Starmer's deputy prime minister, David Lammy, became the first cabinet member to distance himself from the prime minister, according to a report in the Sunday Telegraph.

The number two in Downing Street had not been in favor of the appointment of Mandelson, a key figure in British politics for decades, due to his known links with Epstein, according to the publication, which cites friends of Lammy.

Starmer's Labor Party came to power just over 18 months ago with a landslide election victory.

However, it has lagged behind Nigel Farage's anti-immigrant Reform UK party, while the government has come under heavy criticism over immigration, economic growth and the cost of living crisis.

Reform UK has led the polls by double figures for the last year.

Mandelson, also a former European Union trade commissioner, resigned from the House of Lords, the unelected upper house of parliament, earlier this week.

The former envoy was one of several prominent figures further embarrassed by recent revelations last week about his ties to financier Epstein, who died in prison in 2019 while facing charges of alleged sex trafficking, a death that U.S. authorities ruled a suicide.

A spokesperson for the Mishcon de Reya law firm, which represents Mandelson, said Mandelson "regrets, and will regret until the day he dies, having believed Epstein's lies about his criminality."

"Lord Mandelson did not discover the truth about Epstein until after his death in 2019. He deeply regrets that defenseless and vulnerable women and girls did not receive the protection they deserved," the firm stated.

Starmer paid tribute to McSweeney in a statement. It was "largely thanks to their dedication, loyalty and leadership that we won an overwhelming majority" in the 2024 elections, he said.

"Our party and I owe him great gratitude and thank him for his service," he added.

With AFP and Reuters

Article adapted from its original in English

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