UK PM faces MP calls to dismiss adviser over Mandelson
Pressure continues to mount on British Prime Minister Keir Starmer to sack his most senior adviser in the wake of the Peter Mandelson scandal.
Labor MPs called on Starmer on Friday to sack his private secretary Morgan McSweeney, whom they blame for Mandelson’s appointment as US ambassador despite his links to pedophile financier Jeffrey Epstein.
Backbencher Simon Opher called for the BBC to “empty Number 10”, saying: “If my private secretary had done this, I think he would have looked for another job.”
Those calling for McSweeney to leave include senior MP Clive Efford and Southport’s Patrick Hurley, who suggested he should be found another job campaigning for the party rather than in government.
Their comments followed the intervention of Labor’s former deputy leader, Baroness Harriet Harman, who said Starmer should consider a “real reset” at Downing Street and warned his premiership could be over if he did not take the right action.
But apart from a handful of backbenchers, most MPs have so far rejected calls for the prime minister to leave, calling for backroom staff to be replaced while stressing their support for Starmer.
The Prime Minister’s official spokesman said Starmer maintained his “full confidence” in McSweeney.
In a speech on Thursday, Sir Keir defended his handling of the Mandelson affair, accused his colleague of lying during his vetting for the US ambassador post and apologized to Epstein’s victims for believing his “lies”.
He also insisted that “none of us knew the depth of darkness” of his relationship with Epstein when Mandelson was appointed.
It is expected that the extent of what is known about the relationship will be revealed when the documents regarding Mandelson’s appointment are published following the motion demanding the release of documents in parliament.
The motion called for the release of Mandelson’s investigation documents, as well as other documents, including messages between Mandelson and ministers and senior advisers before and during his time as ambassador.
The files appear to contain thousands of documents.
Starmer believes the files will prove Mandelson lied during the investigation, but the release of communications with ministers and senior officials has the potential to be embarrassing for the government.
It may take some time before the full documents are released, as Parliament’s Intelligence and Security Committee must review any items the government wishes to withhold for national security reasons.
The committee has not yet set a timeline for making its decisions on what can be published.
The Metropolitan Police also asked for some documents to be withheld, claiming they could jeopardize its criminal investigation into allegations that Mandelson passed sensitive market-related information to Epstein while he was business secretary after the 2008 financial crisis.
The number of documents and the sensitive nature of some of them means that the files can be released piecemeal rather than in one large slice.
Starmer’s official spokesman said the government was “committed to transparency” and would comply with the motion to release the documents.
Mandelson was approached for comment and, although he has not yet spoken publicly, the BBC said he was understood to have claimed that he had not engaged in criminal conduct and that his actions were not motivated by personal gain.
