McSweeney denies bullying civil servants into appointing Mandelson

Starmer’s former chief of staff says he does not recognise media’s portrayal of him before evidence hearing with MPs

• UK politics live – latest updates

Morgan McSweeney has denied claims he bullied civil servants into appointing Peter Mandelson as UK ambassador to the UK, before an evidence hearing with MPs next week.

Keir Starmer’s former chief of staff resigned in February over his role in the hiring of Mandelson, but the move failed to end the crisis over the peer’s appointment. On Thursday, McSweeney told a security forum in Kyiv that he did not recognise his “character” portrayed in the media.