Sir Keir Starmer’s most senior adviser has dramatically resigned just hours after a cabinet minister insisted on live television there was no justification for his departure.
Morgan McSweeney stepped down as the Prime Minister’s chief of staff on Sunday afternoon, catching even government ministers off guard with the shock announcement that followed weeks of mounting pressure over the Peter Mandelson scandal.
The departure marks the most significant political casualty of the crisis engulfing Downing Street since revelations emerged about the new US ambassador’s past connections to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
Work and Pensions Secretary Pat McFadden had told BBC’s Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg programme earlier that morning that McSweeney should continue in post, arguing against making hasty personnel changes during difficult periods.
McFadden stated the chief of staff should remain and keep delivering for the government just hours before the resignation. Senior sources inside government told reporters before 9am that no changes were planned, leaving cabinet colleagues stunned when McSweeney’s departure was confirmed that afternoon.
In his resignation letter, McSweeney accepted full blame for recommending Mandelson’s appointment as Washington ambassador, describing the decision as mistaken and saying it had caused serious harm to the party, the nation and public confidence in the political system.
The 49-year-old political strategist, who masterminded Labour’s landslide election victory last year, insisted the only proper response was to step aside while maintaining his support for the Prime Minister’s wider agenda.
McSweeney specifically referenced the women and girls whose lives were destroyed by Epstein, stating their voices “went unheard for far too long.” He also called for a complete overhaul of government vetting procedures, describing reforms as essential safeguards rather than mere gestures.
Opposition figures quickly seized on the turmoil. Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch said the resignation was overdue but criticised Starmer for deflecting blame, arguing the Prime Minister should take ownership of his own poor judgement calls.
Liberal Democrat deputy leader Daisy Cooper said Starmer could replace advisers as often as he wished, but ultimate accountability remained with him as leader, while Green Party leader Zack Polanski called the departure insufficient and demanded the Prime Minister’s own resignation.
Labour MPs remain divided over the exit. Left-wing backbencher Richard Burgon described it as a positive initial move, reflecting longstanding discontent among some parliamentarians with McSweeney’s influence over policy direction and party management.
The Irish-born strategist joined Labour as a teenager after moving to London and rose through the ranks to become one of the party’s most influential figures. He rebuilt Labour’s electoral machinery following the party’s crushing 2019 defeat and ran Starmer’s successful leadership campaign in 2020.
McSweeney had been widely credited with pushing the party toward tougher stances on immigration and crime as part of efforts to broaden Labour’s appeal beyond its traditional base.
Just days earlier, Starmer had vigorously defended his chief of staff during Prime Minister’s Questions, telling the Commons that McSweeney had transformed the party and secured electoral victory, and that he retained complete faith in his adviser.
The Prime Minister praised McSweeney’s commitment and direction in a statement following the resignation, saying the party was indebted to him for reversing Labour’s fortunes after one of its worst electoral performances.
Labour insiders are now grappling with identifying a successor capable of filling one of government’s most powerful roles, which includes advising on policy, managing special advisers, and controlling access to the Prime Minister himself.
One McSweeney ally described his exit as absurd given that numerous individuals with decades-long connections to Mandelson had advocated for the appointment but were now distancing themselves from responsibility.
A Labour source suggested the Prime Minister now confronts difficulties without his most skilled campaign operative, questioning whether Starmer can maintain his position following the departure of someone so instrumental to his political success.
