Starmer’s ex-chief of staff McSweeney admits he made a ‘serious error of judgement’ over Mandelson

NewsUKUK PoliticsStarmer escapes sleaze inquiry after ex-top aide takes blame for Mandelson vetting scandalStarmer is facing a MPs to vote on launching 'sleaze' inquiry over failed vetting row David Maddox Political editor & Kate DevlinTuesday 28 April 2026 18:33 BSTBookmarkCommentsGo to commentsBookmark popoverRemoved from bookmarksClose popover{"translations":{"comments":"Go to comments","share":"Share","copyLink":"Copy link","bookmark":"Bookmark","removeBookmark":"Remove bookmark"},"showComments":true,"showBookmark":true,"articleId":"b2966501","articleMeta":{"url":"https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/morgan-mcsweeney-mandelson-starmer-trump-b2966501.html","title":"Starmer in the clear after former aide takes blame for Mandelson vetting scandal"}}Keir Starmer survives another day as former aide takes blame for Mandelson vetting scandalYour support helps us to tell the storyRead moreSupport NowFrom reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.Your support makes all the difference.Read more{}Sir Keir Starmer is in the clear over the Peter Mandelson vetting scandal after his former political aide took the blame for his appointment on another turbulent day in parliament.With a win of 335 to 223 Labour used its majority to block a “sleaze” inquiry by the powerful Commons Privileges Committee into whether the prime minister misled parliament, Sir Keir appeared to be over the worst of a scandal, which has rocked the foundations of his premiership.He received a huge boost in the morning when his former chief of staff, Morgan McSweeney, took the fall for the appointment of Lord Mandelson as ambassador to the US.if (document.cookie.split(';').some(cookie => cookie.trim() === '__DEBUG__=true')) { console.log('Ad logs: "mpu1", renderedAtParagraph: 3'); }if (document.cookie.split(';').some(cookie => cookie.trim() === '__DEBUG__=true')) { console.log('Ad logs: "mpu1", injectedAtParagraph: 3'); }Apologising to the victims of the convicted paedophile Jeffrey Epstein, a close friend of Lord Mandelson whose relationship with the disgraced peer ultimately led to his sacking, Mr McSweeney told the Foreign Affairs Select Committee that “the appointment of Mandelson as ambassador was a serious error of judgement”. “I advised the prime minister in support of that appointment, and I was wrong to do so,” he added.But despite the evidence from Mr McSweeney and former Foreign Office permanent secretary Sir Philip Barton to the committee, questions remain over Sir Keir’s judgement.Several Labour MPs made it clear they would not support him in the Privileges Committee vote and questioned why he had not referred himself for investigation.if…

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