Epstein Bombshell Shakes UK Government as Starmer’s Top Aide Resigns

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s chief of staff stepped down on Sunday amid mounting backlash over the appointment of Peter Mandelson as the United Kingdom’s ambassador to the United States, despite Mandelson’s documented ties to Jeffrey Epstein.

Morgan McSweeney announced his resignation, saying he accepted full responsibility for advising Starmer to place Mandelson, now 72, in what is widely regarded as Britain’s most critical diplomatic role in 2024.

“The decision to appoint Peter Mandelson was wrong,” McSweeney said in a statement. “It has harmed our party, our country, and public trust in politics. I advised the Prime Minister to make that appointment, and I take full responsibility for that advice.”

The resignation comes as Starmer faces intense political pressure following the release of newly disclosed Epstein-related documents in the United States. The files suggest Mandelson shared market-sensitive government information with Epstein while serving as the U.K.’s business secretary during the 2008 global financial crisis.

Starmer’s government has pledged to publish internal emails and records connected to Mandelson’s appointment, insisting the materials will demonstrate that Mandelson misled officials during the vetting process. The prime minister apologized last week, saying he regretted having believed Mandelson’s assurances.

Starmer acknowledged that background checks conducted in 2024 had flagged Mandelson’s continued friendship with Epstein even after Epstein’s 2008 conviction. However, he said officials were unaware at the time of what he described as “the full extent” of the relationship.

Opposition lawmakers argue that responsibility ultimately rests with Starmer himself.

“Keir Starmer must answer for his own disastrous judgment,” said Conservative Party leader Kemi Badenoch.

Mandelson, a former Cabinet minister and senior figure within the Labour Party, has not been charged with any crime. However, London’s Metropolitan Police confirmed officers searched his residence and another associated property on Friday as part of an ongoing investigation into potential misconduct in public office. Authorities emphasized that Mandelson is not accused of any sexual offenses and said the inquiry remains complex and ongoing.

Starmer dismissed Mandelson from his ambassadorial post in September following earlier disclosures about his links to Epstein. Critics say the latest document release has only intensified concerns that Mandelson should never have been appointed in the first place.

The newly revealed records include allegations that Mandelson shared sensitive government information with Epstein after the financial crisis, along with documents indicating payments totaling $75,000 made between 2003 and 2004 from Epstein to accounts connected to Mandelson or his husband, Reinaldo Avila da Silva.

Mandelson has previously resigned from senior government positions on two separate occasions due to unrelated financial and ethical controversies.

McSweeney, considered one of Starmer’s closest advisers and a key architect of Labour’s recent election victory, had faced growing calls for his removal over the past week. In a statement issued Sunday, Starmer praised McSweeney’s role in the party’s campaign and landslide win but did not reference the Mandelson controversy directly.