Former close aide to Keir Starmer admitted on Tuesday he was “wrong” to back the appointment of Peter Mandelson as ambassador to the U.S., amid mounting political pressure.
Morgan McSweeney, once Keir Starmer’s closest aide and former chief of staff, told a parliamentary committee that he took responsibility for advising the Prime Minister to support Mandelson’s appointment, but denied bypassing official procedures.
"I advised the Prime Minister in support of that appointment, and I was wrong to do so. What I did not do was oversee national security vetting, ask officials to ignore procedures, request that steps should be skipped, or communicate explicitly or implicitly that checks should be cleared at all costs,” he said.
McSweeney added that his support for the 72-year-old Mandelson, who maintained a friendship with Jeffrey Epstein after his 2008 conviction for soliciting prostitution from an under-18 girl, amounted to a “serious error of judgement.”
McSweeney’s testimony comes as Starmer faces a vote by MPs later on Tuesday on whether to launch a parliamentary investigation into claims he misled the House of Commons over Mandelson’s vetting.
Anger over Mandelson’s appointment in late 2024 has resurfaced after it emerged he was granted security clearance despite concerns raised during screening.
Starmer, who has faced calls to resign, has said he was "wrong" to appoint Mandelson and has expressed regret. However, he maintains that all proper processes were followed. He has also criticised officials for failing to inform him that a security vetting body had advised against the appointment.
Earlier on Tuesday, former senior Foreign Office official Philip Barton said there had been a clear urgency to confirm Mandelson’s appointment in time for Donald Trump’s inauguration on 20 January 2025.
Barton told the committee he had not been consulted and that Starmer’s office appeared “uninterested” in the vetting process required for security clearance.
Starmer had praised Mandelson’s “unrivalled experience” when appointing him to Britain’s top diplomatic post in late 2024. However, the Prime Minister dismissed him less than a year later, in September 2025, after emails revealed the extent of his links to Epstein.
British police arrested Mandelson in February on suspicion of misconduct in public office. He has not been charged and faces no allegations of sexual misconduct.
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A powerful earthquake struck off the southern Philippine island of Mindanao on Monday (8 June), killing at least 15 people and triggering tsunami warn...
Chinese President Xi Jinping arrived in Pyongyang on Monday (8 June) for a rare summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, receiving a grand welcome...
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The Prime Minister's party is in the lead as Armenian media are reporting that the country's Central Election Commission has completed the vote count in the parliamentary elections. An official announcement is still expected.
A powerful earthquake struck off the southern Philippine island of Mindanao on Monday (8 June), killing at least 15 people and triggering tsunami warnings across the region.
Chinese President Xi Jinping arrived in Pyongyang on Monday (8 June) for a rare summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, receiving a grand welcome as he described relations between the two countries as being at a "new historical starting point".
Football fans of all ages gathered in Miami Beach for a World Cup sticker trading event, exchanging duplicates and comparing Panini albums as they prepared for the tournament's opening match.
Counting is underway in Armenia's elections. The results of the vote are set to determine the political direction of the country of three million people for the next few years. Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan is hoping to fend off challenges from several pro-Russia candidates to secure a third term.
Armenian authorities arrested six candidates from the pro-Russian Strong Armenia bloc on Saturday, one day before voters were due to take part in parliamentary elections.
The Prime Minister's party is in the lead as Armenian media are reporting that the country's Central Election Commission has completed the vote count in the parliamentary elections. An official announcement is still expected.
Azerbaijan's Foreign Ministry has confirmed the number of casualties its citizens suffered as a result of the 5 June drone attacks on the cargo ships Natra and Zircon in the Sea of Azov. In a statement, it said four Azerbaijani citizens were killed and four others were injured.
The results of Armenia’s parliamentary elections will determine the makeup of the National Assembly and shape the country's political direction for the foreseeable future. But in Armenia, the final result is not decided by vote percentages alone. Here's how it works.
Chinese President Xi Jinping arrived in Pyongyang on Monday (8 June) for a rare summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, receiving a grand welcome as he described relations between the two countries as being at a "new historical starting point".
Football fans of all ages gathered in Miami Beach for a World Cup sticker trading event, exchanging duplicates and comparing Panini albums as they prepared for the tournament's opening match.
A city north of Tokyo has suspended classes at all 94 of its primary and middle schools after its first-ever reported bear sighting, amid growing concern over increasing encounters between bears and people across Japan.
A Turkish fishing vessel rescued migrants from a boat in distress in international waters off Malta on Sunday (7 June), after the overcrowded craft capsized in the central Mediterranean.
The leaders of Britain, France and Germany have backed Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's proposal to hold direct talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin, as efforts to secure a ceasefire continue.
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