Editorial: McSweeeny falls on his sword
He might be the most important Corkman you’ve never heard of.
He was very much the man behind the throne in the UK.
This week Morgan McSweeney lost his job after becoming embroiled in the fallout from the Jeffrey Epstein scandal.
McSweeney had nothing directly to do with Epstein but he was influential in appointing Peter Mandelson, a close friend of the disgraced US financier to a position as UK ambassador to the US. The Corkman has resigned on Sunday as British Prime Minister Keir Starmer's chief of staff this week.
He said he took responsibility for advising him to name Peter Mandelson as ambassador to the US despite his known links to Epstein. Starmer is facing the most serious crisis of his 18 months in power over that decision in 2024. The 48 year old Macroom man is seen as the key strategist who masterminded Starmer's rise to power as well as the revamp of the British Labour Party after the end of Jeremy Corbyn’s leadership of the party in April 2020. Starmer has proved to be a very unpopular prime minister despite the Labour Party won one of the largest parliamentary majorities in modern British history less than two years ago and despite following the disastrous Conservative prime ministers Boris Johnson, Liz Truss and Rishi Sunak.
New files released in the US in January relating to Epstein suggested then-government minister Mr Mandelson shared confidential information with the convicted sex offender in 2009 and 2010. A police investigation is underway. In a statement,
McSweeney said: “The decision to appoint Peter Mandelson was wrong. He has damaged our party, our country and trust in politics itself. When asked, I advised the prime minister to make that appointment and I take full responsibility for that advice.
“As I leave I have two further reflections: Firstly, and most importantly, we must remember the women and girls whose lives were ruined by Jeffrey Epstein and whose voices went unheard for far too long. Secondly, while I did not oversee the due diligence and vetting process, I believe that process must now be fundamentally overhauled. This cannot simply be a gesture but a safeguard for the future. I remain fully supportive of the prime minister. It has been the honour of my life to serve,” he added.
Keir Starmer said it had been “an honour” working with McSweeney for many years and credited him with having “turned our party around after one of its worst ever defeats and played a central role running our election campaign”.
McSweeney left Macroom at 17 to live in in London. He worked on building sites before going to the London School of Economics. He later became an intern for the Labour Party in 2001. He rose through the ranks, becoming director of Labour Together think thank in 2017, a group who opposed Corbynism and wanted to move the party away from the 'hard left’. What next for McSweeny whose family have strong connections to Fine Gael?