Morgan McSweeney, the chief of staff to Prime Minister Keir Starmer of Britain, resigned under pressure on Sunday after days of political upheaval over his role in the appointment of Peter Mandelson, a friend of Jeffrey Epstein, as ambassador to the United States.
Mr. McSweeney, a longtime protégé of Mr. Mandelson’s, said in a statement that “the decision to appoint Peter Mandelson was wrong. He has damaged our party, our country and trust in politics itself.”
He added, “When asked, I advised the prime minister to make that appointment, and I take full responsibility for that advice.”
Mr. Starmer’s allies in the Labour Party have been calling for Mr. McSweeney to depart for days, after emails released by the U.S. Justice Department revealed a much closer relationship than had previously been known between Mr. Mandelson and Mr. Epstein, the wealthy sex offender and disgraced financier who committed suicide in prison in 2019.
The resignation could dampen calls for Mr. Starmer to step down, or it could accelerate a fast-moving scandal that threatens to bring down the prime minister’s leadership of the first Labour government in 14 years.
Mr. Starmer had fired Mr. Mandelson from his diplomatic post in the United States in September, citing new information about his contacts with Mr. Epstein. But thousands of pages of additional emails released on Jan. 30 revealed a much closer friendship than Mr. Mandelson had acknowledged.
They also appear to reveal that Mr. Mandelson, while a member of the government in 2009, had provided confidential government information to Mr. Epstein. Among that information, according to the emails, was a confidential economic memorandum sent to Gordon Brown, then the prime minister.
“Interesting note that’s gone to the PM,” he wrote to Mr. Epstein in June 2009.
Mr. Mandelson resigned from the House of Lords after the release of the latest emails. But the new revelations have continued to convulse the British political system, where Mr. Starmer was already confronting record low approval ratings and deep frustration about the country’s sluggish economy. Since the files were released, some Labour allies have openly joined Mr. Starmer’s adversaries in calling for him to step aside.
In a speech on Thursday, the prime minister vowed to continue in his job but apologized to the women victimized by Mr. Epstein and said he should not have appointed Mr. Mandelson to be an ambassador.
“I am sorry. Sorry for what was done to you,” he said, directing his remarks to the victims. “Sorry that so many people with power failed you. Sorry for having believed Mandelson’s lies and appointed him.”
The speech has not quelled the anger inside the government, and over the weekend, more members of Parliament called for Mr. McSweeney to take the fall, citing his closeness to Mr. Mandelson and his push to make him the ambassador.
As late as Sunday morning, members of Mr. Starmer’s government were saying in interviews that they did not think Mr. McSweeney would resign. But in his statement several hours later, the chief of staff made it clear that he did not think staying was an option.
“In public life responsibility must be owned when it matters most, not just when it is most convenient,” he wrote. “In the circumstances, the only honorable course is to step aside.”
He added, “I remain fully supportive of the Prime Minister.”
Mr. McSweeney’s departure is a blow to Mr. Starmer. As a top campaign aide and later a senior official at No. 10 Downing Street, he has been an architect of Labour’s political resurgence after years of domination by the Tory Party.
“He turned our party around after one of its worst ever defeats and played a central role running our election campaign,” Mr. Starmer said in a statement. “Our party and I owe him a debt of gratitude, and I thank him for his service.”
But it is not clear that Mr. Starmer’s political problems are over.
Last week, the prime minister referred Mr. Mandelson to the police for possible criminal prosecution in relation to his handling of government information. The Metropolitan Police of London have said they are investigating. Over the weekend, the police searched two of Mr. Mandelson’s properties.
A resolution to that investigation could be weeks away or longer.
Mr. Starmer and his aides are also bracing for the release of another set of documents: communications from inside his government about the decision to appoint Mr. Mandelson as ambassador at the end of 2024, when President Trump was about to take office.
Mr. Starmer bowed to pressure and agreed to release the communications, saying they would prove that Mr. Mandelson lied about the extent of his friendship with Mr. Epstein.
The documents have not yet been released in part because of an effort to ensure that they do not include classified material or other information that could damage national security. A parliamentary committee is set to evaluate the documents once Mr. Starmer’s government provides them.
Officials said at least some documents could be released in a matter of days.
Michael D. Shear is a senior Times correspondent covering British politics and culture, and diplomacy around the world.
The post Starmer’s Chief of Staff Resigns, Citing Role in Hiring Friend of Epstein appeared first on New York Times.
