Morgan McSweeney Denies Reports on Conduct, Regrets Lord Mandelson Appointment Advice

Morgan McSweeney, Sir Keir Starmer's former chief of staff, has stated he does not recognise media descriptions of his conduct while in office. Speaking at the Kyiv Security Forum on Thursday, McSweeney remarked, "I find it strange reading about a character with the same name as mine sometimes," addressing his February departure from Downing Street.

McSweeney expressed regret concerning his advice to the Prime Minister to appoint Lord Mandelson as US ambassador. However, he declined to elaborate further ahead of his scheduled testimony to the Foreign Affairs Committee next week.

The committee is expected to question McSweeney on whether he pressured civil servants to expedite Lord Mandelson's vetting process. In his resignation statement, McSweeney clarified he did not oversee the vetting but accepted "full responsibility" for recommending the peer's appointment.

Lord Mandelson received security clearance for the role despite vetting officials reportedly raising concerns. Sir Olly Robbins, a former senior Foreign Office civil servant, this week accused Downing Street of a "dismissive" attitude towards the process, a claim the government has denied.

Lord Mandelson was dismissed by Sir Keir in September after new information emerged regarding his ties to the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.