Starmer’s Chief of Staff Resigns After Mandelson Epstein Revelations Trigger Political Storm

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s chief of staff, Morgan McSweeney, resigned on Sunday after accepting responsibility for advising the appointment of Peter Mandelson as the U.K. ambassador to the United States — a choice that has come under intense scrutiny because of Mandelson’s links to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

“The decision to appoint Peter Mandelson was wrong. He has damaged our party, our country and trust in politics itself,” McSweeney said in a resignation statement. “When asked, I advised the Prime Minister to make that appointment and I take full responsibility for that advice.”

Newly released documents from a large trove of files in the United States have prompted renewed questions about Mandelson’s conduct while serving as the U.K. government’s business secretary during the 2008 financial crisis. The documents reportedly suggest Mandelson passed market-sensitive information to Epstein and include records of payments totaling $75,000 in 2003–2004 to accounts linked to Mandelson or his husband, Reinaldo Avila da Silva.

Investigation and Police Action

Metropolitan Police officers searched Mandelson’s London home and another property linked to him on Friday. Police said the inquiry is complex and will require "a significant amount of further evidence gathering and analysis." The probe is focused on possible misconduct in public office; Mandelson has not been arrested or charged and is not accused of any sexual offences.

Britain's Prime Minister Keir Starmer talks with members of the audience after delivering a speech at Horntye Park Sports Complex in St Leonards-on-Sea, East Sussex, England, Thursday, Feb. 5, 2026. (Peter Nicholls/Pool Photo via AP)(ASSOCIATED PRESS)

Political Fallout

Prime Minister Starmer has apologized for “having believed Mandelson’s lies” and said the government will publish its own emails and documents relating to Mandelson’s appointment. Downing Street said vetting before Mandelson’s 2024 appointment had shown his friendship with Epstein continued after Epstein’s 2008 conviction, but officials maintain they did not at the time appreciate the full extent of that relationship.

Opposition politicians and some lawmakers have argued that Starmer is ultimately accountable for the appointment. Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch said, “Keir Starmer has to take responsibility for his own terrible decisions.”

McSweeney had been viewed as a senior adviser in Downing Street and a key figure in running Labour’s recent election campaign and other party operations. On Sunday Starmer praised McSweeney’s role in the party’s campaigns and electoral work in a statement that made no reference to the Mandelson controversy.

Aside from the current allegations, Peter Mandelson — a former Cabinet minister and prominent Labour elder — previously resigned twice from senior government posts amid separate controversies over money or ethics.

What’s next: Officials say further document releases and police evidence gathering will continue. The government’s promised disclosure of internal records and the ongoing Metropolitan Police investigation are likely to shape the next phase of this story.