Starmer in position of ‘complete weakness’, says Swinney
Pressure is continuing to mount on the Prime Minister despite the resignation of his chief aide Morgan McSweeney.
The Prime Minister’s position is one of “complete weakness”, Scotland’s First Minister has said.
Pressure on Sir Keir Starmer continues to mount over the appointment of Lord Peter Mandelson as US ambassador, despite the resignation of his former chief of staff on Sunday.
Morgan McSweeney announced he would step away from his role as chief aide, taking “full responsibility” for advising the Prime Minister to appoint Lord Mandelson to the role from which he was sacked last year.
The peer – who resigned from the House of Lords last week – is under police investigation over allegations he sent government information to paedophile financier and friend Jeffrey Epstein at the height of the financial crash.
The investigation was sparked by information released by the US department of justice as part of the so-called Epstein files.
Speaking on BBC Radio Scotland, First Minister John Swinney said: “All that’s happened in recent days demonstrates an appalling judgment by the Prime Minister in appointing Peter Mandelson as the ambassador to the United States.
“Although Morgan McSweeney might have resigned, the person that took the decision to appoint Peter Mandelson was the Prime Minister and his position is a demonstration of his complete weakness as Prime Minister in the aftermath of this terrible decision.”
Following the revelations about Lord Mandelson and the launch of the police investigation, the First Minister instructed his top civil servant to undertake an “audit” of all dealings by the Scottish Government with the former minister – who served in the Blair and Brown governments – at the time of the financial crash as well as during his time as ambassador.
“I’m absolutely appalled by what’s happened around the appointment of Peter Mandelson,” he said.
“I am deeply concerned that when he was exchanging sensitive government information with Jeffrey Epstein at the height of the financial crisis, when people like me and others were trying to save people’s livelihoods and to take decisions that were very, very sensitive economically, that that information may have been betrayed to external parties.
“So I’ve asked my leading civil servant, the Permanent Secretary, to satisfy me that we were not put in any jeopardy as a consequence, and I’ll get that report in due course.”
Mr Swinney pushed hard last year for an end to whisky tariffs levied by the US government, with his efforts including a visit to the White House alongside Lord Mandelson – a trip where he stayed at the ambassador’s residence in Washington just days before he was fired.
The First Minister has defended his decision to stay with Lord Mandelson, despite his ties to Epstein being widely known before his appointment, citing the impact on the public purse.
