British Prime Minister Keir Starmer's chief of staff resigned Sunday over the furore surrounding the appointment of Peter Mandelson as the UK ambassador to the US despite his ties to Jeffrey Epstein. Morgan McSweeney said he took responsibility for advising Starmer to appoint Mandelson, 72, to Britain's most important diplomatic post in 2024. ADVERTISEMENT"The decision to appoint Peter Mandelson was wrong. "When asked, I advised the Prime Minister to make that appointment and I take full responsibility for that advice." Aside from his association with Epstein, Mandelson previously had to resign twice from senior government posts because of scandals over money or ethics.

Source: The Telegraph February 08, 2026 15:41 UTC