McSweeney Apologizes for Mandelson Appointment

0:00On April 28th, Morgan McSweeney, Kear Starmer's former chief of staff, told MPs he made a serious mistake, pushing for Lord Mandelson as UK ambassador. To Washington, he apologized to Jeffrey Epstein's victims for the pain caused and took full blame, saying the Prime Minister trusted his advice on Mandelson's trade, expertise. But McSweeney insisted he never asked to skip betting steps or ignore procedures. Earlier, ex foreign office boss Phillip Barton said he worried Mandelson's Epstein ties could spark trouble, especially in the U.S. He wasn't consulted on the pick and found number 10 uninterested in vetting details. There was huge pressure to wrap things up fast ahead of Donald Trump's January 20th, 2025 inauguration, but Barton saw no push too. Fudge that checks themselves. The drama highlights a rushed appointment, announced before full security vetting wrapped, which Barton called, Unusual. Labor flagged the political role early in access talks back in January or February 2024.

1:03Tories like Kimi Badenock, slam starmer for misleading parliament multiple times on due process. McSweeney noted the final call came after the U.S. election in November 2024, figuring Mandelson fit best for trade deal under Trump. Not Kamala Harris. Barton confirmed no direct pressure from McSweeney, like reported swearing, and stressed civil servants followed their processes despite the tight timeline. MPs now face a vote on probing if starmer misled the House, which he dismissed as a political stunt. This saga strains trust between number 10 and the civil service, with more fallout looming over elections.