LAST UPDATE | 22 Apr

IRISHMAN MORGAN MCSWEENEY has been called to appear before the UK foreign affairs committee as Keir Starmer remains under fire over the Peter Mandelson scandal.

Formerly the Prime Minister’s chief of staff, McSweeney resigned in February taking “full responsibility” for advising Starmer to appoint Mandelson as ambassador to Washington. 

He will appear before the committee next Tuesday.

The Cork man was credited as being Starmer’s tactician ahead of the 2024 election which returned Labour to power with a landslide victory.

Starmer came under under yet more pressure over the fallout from his appointment of the disgraced former lord during Prime Minister’s Questions this afternoon.

Sacked senior civil servant Olly Robbins gave evidence in front of the committee yesterday after it emerged last week that Mandelson failed security vetting before taking up the ambassador role in February 2025. 

Starmer maintains he was never informed that Mandelson failed these checks and said today that the evidence give by Robbins “puts to bed all the allegations levelled at me” after claims that he misled parliament.

Robbins confirmed the government’s story to the committee, but said there was a “dismissive approach” on vetting from No 10 and an “atmosphere of pressure” to get Lord Mandelson’s appointment over the line.

Starmer was asked by Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch whether he stood by his previous statements to the Commons that due process had been followed in the appointment.

The Prime Minister replied that he did, adding: “Yesterday, Sir Olly Robbins was asked if he shared that decision with me, No 10 or any other ministers. He gave a clear answer: no. That puts to bed all the allegations levelled at me by those opposite in relation to dishonesty.

“Last week, they were all saying that it must have been shared with me. Sir Olly was very clear yesterday, it was not. I believe not sharing it was a serious error of judgment.

“That information should have been shared with me and other ministers, and if it had have been, Mandelson would not have been committed to post.”

The Prime Minister was also questioned about whether his former spin doctor Matthew Doyle was considered for a diplomatic post.

Starmer said there are “often conversations about other roles”.

Responding to a question from Conservative MP Mike Wood at Prime Minister’s Questions, Starmer said: “Matthew Doyle worked for many years in public service, for me as Prime Minister and other ministers.

“When people leave roles in any organisation, there are often conversations about other roles they want to apply for, but nothing came of this.”

It emerged last week that the UK Security Vetting (UKSV) recommended that Mandelson should not be granted high level security clearance before his official appointment as the UK’s ambassador in Washington. 

Starmer sacked Robbins last week for not disclosing Mandelson failed these security checks, but was granted developed vetting (DV) clearance anyway by the foreign office, in a highly unusual move.

He insisted that only the final outcome of the vetting process – which was that Mandelson was granted security clearance – should be shared with ministers, rather than the concerns raised.

Despite increasing pressure on the Prime Minister, a Downing Street spokesperson today confirmed that Starmer is confident he has the full backing of the cabinet.

Starmer has previously admitted that he had been made aware before Mandelson’s appointment that there was contact between the former lord and Epstein following Epstein’s 2008 conviction for soliciting a minor. 

Additional reporting from PA.