McSweeney quit last month as pressure mounted over the appointment of Mandelson to Washington, which he had championed despite knowing of Mandelson’s Epstein links. Now, however, there is uncertainty over whether all of McSweeney’s crucial message exchanges with the former ambassador can be retrieved. It also put Starmer and McSweeney under pressure for appointing Mandelson in the first place. A young man on a bicycle mounted the pavement, he told police, and snatched his mobile phone from his hand. The second tranche of Mandelson files – with or without McSweeney’s texts – will be dumped on top of this.

Source: The Irish Times March 26, 2026 00:21 UTC