Keir Starmer's chief of staff, Morgan McSweeney, resigned on Sunday, as pressure mounts on the British Prime Minister, criticized for appointing Peter Mandelson as ambassador to the United States. The latter is suspected of having transmitted sensitive financial information to American sex criminal Jeffrey Epstein.

Published on: 02/08/2026 - 5:54 p.m. Modified on: 02/08/2026 - 6:41 p.m.

To display this YouTube content, it is necessary to authorize audience measurement and advertising cookies.

An extension in your browser appears to be blocking the loading of the video player. To be able to watch this content, you must disable or uninstall it.

The Epstein file brings down British Prime Minister Keir Starmer's chief of staff. Morgan McSweeney announced his resignation on Sunday, February 8, for having "advised" the head of government to appoint Peter Mandelson as ambassador to Washington, despite his known links with sex criminal Jeffrey Epstein.

"After careful consideration, I have decided to resign from the government. The appointment of Peter Mandelson was a mistake (...) I advised the Prime Minister to make this appointment and I take full responsibility for this advice," announced Morgan McSweeney in a written statement sent to the BBC.

In Downing Street, Morgan McSweeney was considered the strategist of Labor power, Keir Starmer's true right-hand man and eminence grise.

He was appointed in October 2024, three months after Labour's return to power, of which he had been one of the main architects as general director of the legislative campaign.

Keir Starmer's government is plunged into an unprecedented crisis after the latest revelations concerning links between Peter Mandelson and the American financier, who died in 2019.

Also read: What we know about the Epstein-Mandelson links, which are affecting the British establishment

While some, even in his own camp, are calling for his departure from Downing Street, his chief of staff was particularly in the hot seat, for having pushed the appointment of Peter Mandelson as ambassador to Washington.

Keir Starmer's regrets

Keir Starmer appointed the former Labor minister and European commissioner in December 2024 to this highly strategic position with the return of Donald Trump to the White House, but dismissed him from his functions in September 2025 after the publication of documents in the Epstein file detailing the extent of his links with child molesters.

New documents recently published by the US Department of Justice have reignited the controversy, revealing that Peter Mandelson allegedly transmitted information to Jeffrey Epstein that could influence the markets, notably when he was a minister in Gordon Brown's Labor government between 2008 and 2010.

Also read: Prince Andrew, Jack Lang... endless turmoil in the Epstein affair?

British police opened an investigation and raided two addresses linked to Peter Mandelson on Friday, one in the southwest of England and the other in London.

This week, Keir Starmer said he regretted having named Peter Mandelson and apologized to Epstein's victims, but assured that he did not know the extent of the links between his ex-ambassador and the child criminal.

With AFP

Keywords associated with the article

The content you are trying to access does not exist or is no longer available.