Ex-Starmer chief admits error on Mandelson US ambassador advice

Morgan McSweeney, former chief of staff to Prime Minister Keir Starmer, has admitted before the Foreign Affairs Committee that his advice to appoint Peter Mandelson as US ambassador was a "serious error of judgement," though he firmly denied bypassing any vetting procedures. McSweeney, who resigned in February, testified that he believed Mandelson's experience as a Labour veteran would help Britain secure a trade deal with the United States following Donald Trump's return to the White House. He stated: "What I did not do was oversee national security vetting, ask officials to ignore procedures, request that steps should be skipped, or communicate explicitly or implicitly that checks should be cleared at all costs." Sir Philip Barton, the then-top Foreign Office civil servant, revealed during the same hearing that he was not consulted by the Prime Minister about Mandelson's appointment, learning of the decision only on December 15, 2024, just days before Starmer publicly announced it. McSweeney clarified that the decision to pursue a political appointment rather than a civil servant rested with the Prime Minister himself. He presented both Mandelson and former Conservative Chancellor George Osborne as "appointable candidates" but insisted he did not push for Mandelson's appointment specifically. Notably, McSweeney confirmed that no one within Downing Street had deemed Lord Mandelson "not appointable" for the position. The controversy is set to escalate as Sir Keir Starmer faces a crucial parliamentary vote on whether to launch an inquiry into allegations that he misled parliament over the appointment saga. The appointment process, which would have placed Mandelson in Washington during a turbulent period in US-UK relations, has drawn scrutiny over whether proper procedures were followed and whether parliament was given accurate information about the decision-making timeline.