British Prime Minister Keir Starmer faced further turmoil on Monday when his communications director Tim Allan resigned – just a day after senior adviser Morgan McSweeney resigned over his involvement in supporting Peter Mandelson despite his known links to Jeffrey Epstein, Reuters reported.
“I have decided to step down to allow a new number 10 team to be built,” Tim Allan said in a brief statement.
These mutual resignations of key aides have increased pressure on Starmer, who is trying to overcome the controversy surrounding his government after the decision to appoint Mandelson as ambassador to the US.
On Sunday, Morgan McSweeney also quit the prime minister’s top team, saying he accepted “full responsibility” for advising Starmer to appoint Peter Mandelson as US ambassador in 2024.
Earlier, speaking to No 10 staff, Starmer expressed his gratitude to McSweeney for “his dedication, commitment and loyalty”, adding that the government “will move on from here … with confidence”.
Sweeney, 48, was one of Starmer’s closest allies and was widely credited as the strategist behind Labour’s landslide election victory.
Epstein links the rekindled controversy
The crisis was triggered by newly released files detailing the extent of Mandelson’s relationship with the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, reopening a long-burning issue for the Labor leadership.
The documents, which emerged in the past ten days, are said to indicate that Mandelson leaked government materials to Epstein between 2009 and 2010. The revelations have now prompted a police investigation into alleged public misconduct.
The pressure is mounting on Starmer
Starmer faced growing criticism from within his own party, with Labor MPs questioning his judgment and calling for accountability for Mandelson’s appointment.
Polls already show the prime minister struggling with popular support and McSweeney’s departure has raised new doubts about the government’s future direction less than two years after Labor secured one of the biggest parliamentary majorities in modern British history.
