Following the release of new files by Epstein, the head of the British PM's office resigned

Head of the Office of the prime minister of Great Britain Keir Starmer, Morgan McSweeney, has resigned. This happened after the disclosure of information about former British ambassador to the United States Peter Mandelson in the files of American financier and sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. About the situation writes Politico.

The published documents showed that the ex-diplomat had remained in contact with the financier for longer than he initially admitted. The police are also investigating emails that may indicate that Mandelson sent Epstein details of internal financial discussions after the 2008 banking crisis.

McSweeney's decision means that Starmer has lost one of his most loyal and experienced associates at a time when he is already under considerable pressure from his own party and MPs, with some privately calling for the prime minister to resign.

In a statement released on the afternoon of February 8, McSweeney said that the decision to appoint Mandelson was "wrong" and "damaged our party, our country and trust in politics itself."

He said that he takes "full responsibility" because he personally advised the prime minister to make this appointment.

Maxwiny has been a key adviser to Starmer throughout his tenure as leader of the Labor Party since 2020. His work behind the scenes in the late 2010s, first at the Labour Together think tank and later directly for Starmer, helped to defeat the left wing of the party and propel the politician to the position of Labor leader and then to the post of prime minister.

However, Maxwiny had long been under pressure to resign. The situation escalated after the US Department of Justice published new emails that showed the extent of the relationship between Mandelson and Epstein.

Mandelson was appointed ambassador in December 2024, but was dismissed in September of the following year after new details of his relationship with the financier became public. Following the release of the new emails, in early February 2026, the former diplomat left the Labor Party and resigned his seat in the House of Lords.

• "The Epstein Files indicate that in 2019, shortly before his death, the financier may have been collecting information about President Zelenskyy and his office in the interests of Russian dictator Putin's Valdai Club. Read more about the situation and Mandelson's role in it in the new text by LIGA.net.