Keir Starmer's chief of staff Morgan McSweeney resigns after taking 'full responsibility' for 'wrong' Peter Mandelson appointment

Morgan McSweeney has resigned from the Government, accepting "full responsibility" for advising on the appointment of Lord Mandelson.

In a statement, he said: “After careful reflection, I have decided to resign from the government. The decision to appoint Peter Mandelson was wrong. He has damaged our party, our country and trust in politics itself. When asked, I advised the Prime Minister to make that appointment and I take full responsibility for that advice.”

He added: “In public life, responsibility must be owned when it matters most, not just when it is most convenient. In the circumstances, the only honourable course is to step aside.”

Mr McSweeney said the decision had “not been an easy” one and defended his record, insisting his motivation had always been to elect and support “a government that puts the lives of ordinary people first and leads us to a better future for our great country”.

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