Irish-born Morgan McSweeney has resigned as Keir Starmer's chief of staff after coming under fire in the Lord Peter Mandelson scandal. In his exit statement, Mr McSweeney said the decision to appoint Lord Mandelson to the job was "wrong", and that he took "full responsibility" for advising Mr Starmer to go ahead. Mr McSweeney said: "After careful reflection, I have decided to resign from the Government. Mr Starmer said: "It's been an honour working with Morgan McSweeney for many years. Originally from Macroom in north Cork, Mr McSweeney (48) comes from a Fine Gael family.

Source: Irish Independent February 09, 2026 00:59 UTC