Chief of staff to British premier resigns amid Mandelson scandal tied to Epstein
Comes after pressure over Keir Starmer's appointment of Peter Mandelson as US ambassador last year
LONDON
Morgan McSweeney on Sunday resigned as chief of staff to UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer amid fall out over the Peter Mandelson scandal linked to new Epstein revelations.
"After careful reflection, I have decided to resign from the government," McSweeney said in his resignation statement, which was published by the BBC.
McSweeney admitted that the decision to appoint Mandelson as the UK ambassador to the US last year "was wrong."
"The decision to appoint Peter Mandelson was wrong. He has damaged our party, our country and trust in politics itself," he said.
On Thursday, Starmer said he was "sorry" for believing Mandelson's "lies" and appointing him as ambassador to the US, as pressure continued to mount on him after he admitted to knowing about Mandelson's ties with convicted sex offender Epstein.
Mandelson was sacked in September, but new Epstein files suggested he shared confidential information with the convicted sex offender when he was a business secretary in 2009.
Mandelson has also stepped down from the House of Lords, and the Labour Party.
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