Morgan McSweeney: brains behind Labour’s comeback undone by poor judgment

In the early hours of 5 July 2024, Keir Starmer arrived at Tate Modern in central London to celebrate Labour’s landslide election victory. As he prepared to address the throng of cheering activists, he was flanked by two people: his wife, Victoria, and his closest aide, Morgan McSweeney.A reluctant McSweeney, it was reported, was dragged on stage by the soon-to-be prime minister to a roar from the party’s foot soldiers. A few years previously, this moment had seemed impossible. Many believe that, without McSweeney, it would have been

Decent or disastrous? Starmer’s judgment and leadership divide opinion | Letters

Polly Toynbee (It’s tragic that a decent PM will be brought down by Mandelson’s sleaze – but it’s a matter of when, not if, 6 February) says she cannot “understand the reason for this level of public dislike for a good and serious man”. Keir Starmer’s failure of judgment over Peter Mandelson’s appointment as ambassador to the US is just the last straw.Starmer’s accumulating failures have resulted from his complete lack of vision; there has been no inspiring “this is the kind of society we are going to create”. He has been leading the nation into a strategic vacuum. When the horses do not know which way to face, they all pull in different directions

Morgan McSweeney resigns as Keir Starmer’s chief of staff

Morgan McSweeney, Keir Starmer’s chief of staff, has quit his role as the prime minister’s closest aide amid anger over the appointment of Peter Mandelson as US ambassador.The senior No 10 adviser’s position had grown increasingly untenable as pressure on the prime minister mounted over the scandal, which followed the release of emails underlining the extent of Mandelson’s ongoing relationship with the convicted child sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.McSweeney resigned on Sunday, saying he took “full responsibility” for advising Starmer to appoint Mandelson, who had been a close ally and political mentor. He said the decision had undermined trust in Labour, the country and politics itself and it was the “honourable course” for him to go.The departure of Labour’s most consequential political figure in recent years will come as a major blow to Starmer, who had come to rely on McSweeney’s political judgment, often over his own, even though No 10 came under fire regularly as a result

‘A pollster’s nightmare’: stakes are high in three-way fight for Gorton and Denton

As Nigel Farage cut the ribbon on Reform UK’s byelection headquarters in Greater Manchester this week, Labour’s candidate, Angeliki Stogia, sat tearfully in a cafe nearby.Politicians do not often show their emotion but for Stogia, who arrived in Britain as a student from Greece in 1995, this is personal. “I am angry,” she said of Farage’s party. “I am very, very angry. How dare they come here and spread this division?”Her voice breaking, she added: “For them, this is a show

Mandelson should hand back US ambassador payout, says cabinet minister

A cabinet minister has called for Peter Mandelson to hand back the payout he received after quitting as ambassador to the US last year, as pressure increased on the prime minister to quit for having appointed him in the first place.Pat McFadden, the welfare secretary, said on Sunday he thought the Labour peer should give back his Foreign Office payout, which is reported to be as much as £55,000. The Foreign Office is understood to be reviewing the payment.Mandelson quit last year as Washington ambassador after further details came to light about his relationship with the convicted child sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. This week, he said he would stand down from the House of Lords after yet more documents were published, showing the relationship between the two men to have been closer than thought

Starmer leadership speculation ‘serious’ but task ahead ‘very clear’, says Brown – as it happened

As speculation over Starmer’s future as prime minister continues, Brown has come to his defence, saying he is “a man of integrity”.But he acknowledged that Starmer is facing a “serious” battle to keep his job.“I mean, there’s always speculation. It happened to me, it happened to Tony Blair. It happens to everybody about how their future should be gauged,” he told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme