Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer faces mounting pressure. His chief of staff Morgan McSweeney resigned on Sunday over the controversial appointment of Lord Peter Mandelson as US ambassador. The development intensifies scrutiny of Starmer's leadership as police investigate allegations that Mandelson sent sensitive government information to paedophile financier Jeffrey Epstein during the financial crisis.
McSweeney took "full responsibility" for advising Mandelson's appointment in his resignation announcement.
However, Scotland's First Minister John Swinney dismissed the resignation as insufficient, telling BBC Radio Scotland: "Although Morgan McSweeney might have resigned, the person that took the decision to appoint Peter Mandelson was the Prime Minister and his position is a demonstration of his complete weakness as Prime Minister in the aftermath of this terrible decision."
The police investigation into Mandelson centres on allegations he exchanged government information with Epstein at the height of the financial crash. The information prompting the investigation came from the US Department of Justice as part of the "Epstein files". Mandelson, who served in the Blair and Brown governments, resigned from the House of Lords last week.
Swinney Orders Audit
Swinney announced he has instructed his Permanent Secretary to audit all Scottish Government dealings with Mandelson during both the financial crash and his time as ambassador. Speaking on BBC Radio Scotland, he said: "I am deeply concerned that when he was exchanging sensitive government information with Jeffrey Epstein at the height of the financial crisis, when people like me and others were trying to save people's livelihoods and to take decisions that were very, very sensitive economically, that that information may have been betrayed to external parties. So I've asked my leading civil servant, the Permanent Secretary, to satisfy me that we were not put in any jeopardy as a consequence, and I'll get that report in due course."
Scotland's First Minister added: "All that's happened in recent days demonstrates an appalling judgment by the Prime Minister in appointing Peter Mandelson as the ambassador to the United States."
Swinney defended his own decision to stay at the ambassador's residence in Washington during a White House visit with Mandelson last year, citing impact on the public purse, despite Mandelson's widely known ties to Epstein at the time.
Labour Party Discontent Grows
Beyond the immediate crisis, discontent is spreading within the governing Labour Party over Starmer's handling of the revelations. Members are contemplating a leadership change despite Labour's landslide majority won in July 2024. Starmer's approval ratings remain historically low.
Former Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner, who resigned in September following an investigation into her tax payments on a home purchase, emerges as bookmakers' favourite to succeed Starmer with odds of 5/2. The 45-year-old was instrumental in forcing the government to pass Mandelson vetting papers to Parliament's cross-party Intelligence and Security Committee.
Health Secretary Wes Streeting follows at 4/1 odds. The 43-year-old denied plotting a coup in November when Starmer allies accused him, calling the accusations "self-defeating nonsense". He later made thinly veiled criticisms of the prime minister after a policy reversal.
Other potential successors include Energy Secretary Ed Miliband at 8/1 odds, Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham at 9/1, and Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood at 9/1. Under Labour Party rules, prime ministerial candidates must hold a seat in Parliament and secure nominations from at least 20% of the party's members in the House of Commons – 81 colleagues.
A special election in Gorton and Denton on February 26 and local elections in May, where Labour expects heavy losses, could further intensify pressure on Starmer's leadership.
Note: This article was created with Artificial Intelligence (AI).
