AssetID: 55450383
Headline: UNCAPTIONED: UK PM Starmer's Top Aide McSweeney Quits Over Mandelson-Epstein Scandal
Caption: UK PM Starmer’s Top Aide McSweeney Quits Over Mandelson-Epstein Scandal. Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s chief of staff, Morgan McSweeney, resigned after taking responsibility for advising the appointment of Peter Mandelson as ambassador to the U.S. McSweeney said he accepted full responsibility for urging Starmer to name Peter Mandelson, despite his known links to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. The resignation followed the release of new Epstein files that revealed the depth of Mandelson’s relationship with Epstein, triggering a police investigation into alleged misconduct in public office. The files suggested Mandelson may have leaked market-sensitive government information to Epstein during the global financial crisis in 2009 and 2010. McSweeney, a key architect of Starmer’s rise to power, said the decision to appoint Mandelson was wrong and had damaged trust in politics, the Labour Party and the country. Opposition figures seized on the crisis, with Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch saying the resignation was long overdue and blaming Starmer’s judgment. Reform UK leader Nigel Farage claimed the scandal shows Starmer’s leadership is nearing its end, as polls showed growing voter dissatisfaction. Starmer said it was “an honour” working with McSweeney, as Labour prepared for further fallout from the planned release of internal government communications. Instructions: THIS VIDEO MUST NOT BE EDITED FOR LENGTH TO COMBINE WITH OTHER CONTENT
Keywords: Current Affairs & Politics,Keir Starmer,Morgan McSweeney,Peter Mandelson,Epstein files,UK politics,Labour Party,resignation,misconduct investigation
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