Morgan McSweeney calls advising Starmer to appoint Mandelson 'serious error'

Morgan McSweeney, who was Keir Starmer's chief of staff until recently, made a dramatic admission to MPs on a parliamentary committee. He said advising the Prime Minister to appoint Peter Mandelson as ambassador was a "serious error of judgment" and that he was "wrong to do so."

McSweeney specifically criticized Mandelson for not being fully honest about his connections to Jeffrey Epstein, the convicted sex offender who died in prison in 2019. He said the peer did not give the "full truth" about this relationship during the appointment process.

The admission has created a political crisis for Prime Minister Starmer. His own Labour MPs are now debating whether to refer him for further investigation over the Mandelson appointment. A Commons debate is currently underway as members consider their next steps.

Mandelson is a veteran Labour politician who has served in senior government roles. However, his past social connections to Epstein have made his recent appointment controversial from the start.