"For some Labour MPs, the sight of Keir Starmer accepting the resignation of his long-term consigliere, Morgan McSweeney, encapsulated everything they think is going wrong with the prime minister's leadership. After days of mounting criticism over McSweeney's role in advocating for the appointment of Peter Mandelson as Washington ambassador, the prime minister's chief of staff left Downing Street on Sunday."
"Some believe it was McSweeney who, as head of the thinktank Labour Together, picked Starmer out as the leader for his centrist movement, rather the other way round. McSweeney's influence was so all-encompassing that one Labour source was quoted in a recent book as saying Starmer thought he was driving the train when actually he had been placed at the front of the driverless Docklands Light Railway."
Morgan McSweeney resigned as Keir Starmer's chief of staff following sustained criticism over his advocacy for Peter Mandelson's appointment as Washington ambassador. Some Labour MPs said allowing a resignation rather than a dismissal made the prime minister appear weak and politically passive. McSweeney held levels of access and power in Downing Street compared to Dominic Cummings under Boris Johnson. As head of Labour Together, McSweeney played a central role in elevating Starmer within the centrist movement. Supporters credit him with overturning the hard left, securing electoral success in 2024, and restoring the party's electability. Critics cite his influence as a source of internal tension and accountability concerns.
Read at www.theguardian.com
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