PULSE POINTS
WHAT HAPPENED: Sir Keir Starmer’s chief of staff, Morgan McSweeney, resigned amidst backlash over the appointment of Lord Peter Mandelson as Britain’s ambassador to the U.S., following revelations of Mandelson’s ties to Jeffrey Epstein.
WHO WAS INVOLVED: Morgan McSweeney, Sir Keir Starmer, Lord Peter Mandelson, Labour MPs, and opposition leaders, including Kemi Badenoch and Nigel Farage.
WHEN & WHERE: McSweeney’s resignation occurred on February 8, 2026, as pressure mounted on Starmer’s government in London.
KEY QUOTE: “The decision to appoint Peter Mandelson was wrong. He has damaged our party, our country, and trust in politics itself.” – Morgan McSweeney
IMPACT: The resignation deepens the crisis for Sir Keir Starmer’s government, with mounting calls for his resignation and a no-confidence vote from opposition leaders and Labour MPs.
IN FULL
Morgan McSweeney, Sir Keir Starmer’s chief of staff, has resigned following backlash over the appointment of Lord Peter Mandelson as Britain’s ambassador to the U.S. McSweeney admitted that advising Starmer to appoint Mandelson, who has been linked to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, was a mistake. “The decision to appoint Peter Mandelson was wrong. He has damaged our party, our country, and trust in politics itself,” McSweeney stated in his resignation letter.
The resignation comes amidst a growing scandal surrounding Mandelson’s connections to Epstein, which have sparked outrage among Labour MPs and opposition figures. The links were reported by The National Pulse over a year ago, with Editor-in-Chief Raheem Kassam telling the late Charlie Kirk about the matter on air, urging President Trump to refuse Mandelson’s credentials.
Flashback to just one year ago, almost to the day, when my friend @charliekirk11 asked me on his show to explain my warning for both the British and American governments to refuse “dark lord” Peter Mandelson as UK ambassador.
The issue may now bring down the UK Prime Minister.… pic.twitter.com/o2P8Yjxr6e
— Raheem J. Kassam (@RaheemKassam) February 7, 2026
Tory leader Kemi Badenoch accused Starmer of deflecting responsibility, stating, “Keir Starmer has to take responsibility for his own terrible decisions. But he never does.” Reform UK leader Nigel Farage suggested Starmer’s leadership is on borrowed time, predicting, “My money says Starmer won’t be far behind after Labour’s disaster in the elections this coming May.”
McSweeney, a close ally of Starmer for nearly six years and an architect of Labour’s electoral success, has been a key figure in the Prime Minister’s operation. It is unclear if Starmer would even be able to cling on to power without McSweeney by his side.
The resignation is seen as a desperate attempt to maintain power amidst plummeting approval ratings and internal party dissent.
Polling shows that a full 55 percent of voters believe Starmer should resign, with only 23 percent supporting his continued tenure as Prime Minister. The police are now actively investigating Mandelson and his links to Epstein, including payments made to his gay lover Reinaldo, who briefly lived with him at the British Ambassador’s Residence in Washington, D.C.
As Starmer faces mounting pressure to resign, allies within the Labour Party are reportedly positioning themselves for potential leadership bids. Angela Rayner, Wes Streeting, and Ed Miliband are among those speculated to be maneuvering for leadership roles.
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