In a note sent to the prime minister on Dec. 11 2024, which included a copy of the due diligence review into Mandelson’s background, Keir Starmer was told his chief of staff Morgan McSweeney had also “discussed Peter’s relationship with Jeffery [sic] Epstein.”
The note added: “But your Director of Communications is satisfied with his responses to questions about contact.”
Jonathan Powell says he raised the alarm over the ‘unusual’ appointment process
Starmer’s National Security Adviser Jonathan Powell claimed to have raised concerns about Mandelson directly with Starmer’s ex-chief of staff McSweeney — but was told they had been addressed.
A freshly published document appears to show details of a fact-finding call between Keir Starmer’s General Counsel Mike Ostheimer and Powell about the appointment process which took place the day after Mandelson’s sacking.
A summary of the discussion says that Powell, a veteran government adviser, found the process “unusual” and “weird rushed.”
According to the document, Powell disclosed that he had raised concerns directly with the prime minister’s then-chief of staff McSweeney about the “individual and reputation,” but was told those issues had been “addressed.”
This is a developing story and will be updated.