LONDON: British Prime Minister Keir Starmer is on Monday fighting to hold on to his job after his top aide resigned over a controversial politician’s appointment as the UK's ambassador to the US despite known links with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
Morgan McSweeney stepped down as Starmer's chief of staff at 10 Downing Street over the weekend after the release of Epstein's files exposed further details of Peter Mandelson’s connections with him and triggered a criminal investigation by the UK police.
While McSweeney attempted to take full responsibility for Mandelson's appointment to Washington DC last year in his resignation letter, Starmer's own Labour Party MPs continue to question his judgment and leadership abilities, with a make-or-break party meeting set for Monday evening.
"The decision to appoint Peter Mandelson was wrong. He has damaged our party, our country and trust in politics itself," McSweeney said in his resignation letter.
“When asked, I advised the Prime Minister to make that appointment and I take full responsibility for that advice," he said.
As the man credited with running Starmer’s leadership bid and winning the Labour Party its landslide general election in July 2024, McSweeney’s loss will hit Starmer hard as he is forced into a reset of his Downing Street ranks minus his closest aide.
“He turned our party around after one of its worst ever defeats and played a central role running our election campaign. It is largely thanks to his dedication, loyalty and leadership that we won a landslide majority and have the chance to change the country," said Starmer, in response to McSweeney’s resignation letter.
According to documents associated with the late Jeffrey Epstein released in the US, Mandelson shared confidential information with him when he was the business secretary in the Gordon Brown Labour government.
The Opposition parties rounded on Starmer and his own MPs questioned the vetting process that resulted in the appointment of Mandelson to a top diplomatic position before having to sack him as US envoy last year.
Last week, Starmer issued an apology to the victims of Epstein in an effort to move on from the scandal: “It had been publicly known for some time that Mandelson knew Epstein, but none of us knew the depth and the darkness of that relationship.
“I am sorry. Sorry for what was done to you, sorry that so many people with power failed you, sorry for having believed Mandelson’s lies and appointing him.”
All eyes are now on the weekly Parliamentary Labour Party meeting, where Starmer will have to persuade his Cabinet and backbench MPs that he continues to be the best person for the top job.
Meanwhile, the scandal surrounding Epstein’s sex trafficking of underage girls triggered a rare intervention from the royal circles, with Prince William and Kate Middleton’s office issuing a statement on behalf of the Prince and Princess of Wales.
"I can confirm the Prince and Princess have been deeply concerned by the continuing revelations. Their thoughts remain focused on the victims," Kensington Palace said.
There is no mention of Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, William’s uncle and King Charles III’s younger brother, as among those under intense scrutiny over his past connections with the sex offender.