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https://www.france24.com/en/europe/20260...to-epstein
INTRO: Embattled British Prime Minister Keir Starmer's chief of staff resigned on Sunday over the appointment of Peter Mandelson as ambassador to Washington despite links to convicted US sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
"After careful reflection, I have decided to resign from the government. The decision to appoint Peter Mandelson was wrong. He has damaged our party, our country and trust in politics itself," Morgan McSweeney, Downing Street's chief of staff, said in a statement.
"I advised the Prime Minister to make that appointment, and I take full responsibility for that advice," he added. The resignation came as the foreign ministry said it was reviewing an exit payment to Mandelson, who was sacked by the Labour premier last September over his friendship with the late Epstein.
Mandelson, a pivotal figure in British politics and the Labour Party for decades, received an estimated payout of between £38,750 and £55,000 ($52,000 to $74,000) after only seven months in the job, according to a report in the Sunday Times.
Documents released on January 30 by the US Justice Department appear to show that Mandelson allegedly leaked confidential UK government information to financier Epstein when he was a British minister, including during the 2008 financial crisis.
The revelation has placed intense pressure on Starmer and triggered a police investigation into Mandelson, 72, for alleged misconduct in a public office. The Foreign Office said in a statement it had launched a review into Mandelson's severance payment "in light of further information that has now been revealed and the ongoing police investigation".
Cabinet minister Pat McFadden earlier insisted Starmer should remain in office despite his "terrible mistake" in appointing Mandelson. The close Starmer ally told broadcasters the party should stick with the prime minister.
"He (Starmer) should be realistic and accept that this has been a terrible story, that this appointment was a terrible mistake," McFadden, the Work and Pensions Secretary, told BBC television. He said the real blame lay "squarely with Peter Mandelson", who put himself forward for the job despite knowing the extent of his relationship with Epstein... (MORE - details)
INTRO: Embattled British Prime Minister Keir Starmer's chief of staff resigned on Sunday over the appointment of Peter Mandelson as ambassador to Washington despite links to convicted US sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
"After careful reflection, I have decided to resign from the government. The decision to appoint Peter Mandelson was wrong. He has damaged our party, our country and trust in politics itself," Morgan McSweeney, Downing Street's chief of staff, said in a statement.
"I advised the Prime Minister to make that appointment, and I take full responsibility for that advice," he added. The resignation came as the foreign ministry said it was reviewing an exit payment to Mandelson, who was sacked by the Labour premier last September over his friendship with the late Epstein.
Mandelson, a pivotal figure in British politics and the Labour Party for decades, received an estimated payout of between £38,750 and £55,000 ($52,000 to $74,000) after only seven months in the job, according to a report in the Sunday Times.
Documents released on January 30 by the US Justice Department appear to show that Mandelson allegedly leaked confidential UK government information to financier Epstein when he was a British minister, including during the 2008 financial crisis.
The revelation has placed intense pressure on Starmer and triggered a police investigation into Mandelson, 72, for alleged misconduct in a public office. The Foreign Office said in a statement it had launched a review into Mandelson's severance payment "in light of further information that has now been revealed and the ongoing police investigation".
Cabinet minister Pat McFadden earlier insisted Starmer should remain in office despite his "terrible mistake" in appointing Mandelson. The close Starmer ally told broadcasters the party should stick with the prime minister.
"He (Starmer) should be realistic and accept that this has been a terrible story, that this appointment was a terrible mistake," McFadden, the Work and Pensions Secretary, told BBC television. He said the real blame lay "squarely with Peter Mandelson", who put himself forward for the job despite knowing the extent of his relationship with Epstein... (MORE - details)