I made 'serious mistake' advising Starmer to appoint Mandelson, PM's ex-top adviser says

I made 'serious mistake' advising Starmer to appoint Mandelson, PM's ex-top adviser says11 minutes agoShareSaveAdd as preferred on GoogleBecky MortonPolitical reporterHouse of CommonsThe PM's former chief of staff has said he made "a serious mistake" in recommending the appointment of Lord Mandelson as the UK's ambassador to the US.Morgan McSweeney, who resigned in February over the advice, said he felt the peer's experience as an EU trade envoy would help the UK secure a US trade deal.However, he told MPs on the Foreign Affairs Committee that after fresh revelations about Lord Mandelson's friendship with the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein emerged it "dawned" on him that the peer had not given the "full truth" about their friendship.McSweeney admitted No 10 wanted Lord Mandelson in post "quickly" but insisted officials were never asked to "skip steps".He also denied telling the Foreign Office "explicitly or implicitly" that security checks "should be cleared at all costs".Lord Mandelson was given security clearance for the role by the Foreign Office, despite concerns being raised by vetting officials.However, the prime minister has said no one in Downing Street - including himself and McSweeney - were aware the Foreign Office had gone against the vetting recommendation until recently.Follow live updatesKey points as MPs question former Foreign Office boss on Mandelson vetting rowMinisters rally support for PM ahead of Mandelson voteLord Mandelson was sacked as ambassador in September 2025, after new information came to light about the depth of his relationship with Epstein.This included photos of the pair together and supportive emails he sent to Epstein as he faced charges for sex offences in 2008.McSweeney told the committee that when he saw the revelations "it was like a knife through my soul"."The nature of the relationship that I...