Mandelson Downfall Puts New Scrutiny on Starmer’s Chief Aide

The ouster of the UK’s ambassador to the US, Peter Mandelson, raises fresh questions about Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s chief of staff, Morgan McSweeney, who people familiar with the matter said was instrumental in the envoy’s appointment and spent recent days defending his position.

Starmer fired Mandelson on Thursday, after just seven months in post, following revelations about the extent of the envoy’s past ties to late pedophile financier Jeffrey Epstein, including a trove of more than 100 emails between the two men revealed by Bloomberg. Mandelson didn’t respond to questions from Bloomberg.