The ouster of the UK’s ambassador to the US, Peter Mandelson, raises fresh questions about Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s chief of staff, Morgan McSweeney, who people familiar with the matter said was instrumental in the envoy’s appointment and spent recent days defending his position.

Many Labour MPs think the prime minister should have seen the Mandelson scandal coming a mile off, writes Joe Pike.

UK leader Keir Starmer sacked his ambassador in Washington, Peter Mandelson, on Thursday following “reprehensible” fresh revelations about the diplomat’s friendship with sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

Keir Starmer is fighting for survival after Peter Mandelson's sacking plunged Labour into a full-blown meltdown. The Prime Minister was branded "weak" having dithered about getting rid of the disgraced peer over his close friendship with paedophile Jeffrey Epstein.

Withdrawal’ of Labour peer from Washington is more evidence of prime minister’s failure to pick right people, say critics

Lord Mandelson said he ‘never saw any evidence of criminal activity’ and suggested Epstein had not introduced him to women ‘because I'm a gay man’

Keir Starmer has been accused of ignoring security concerns put forward by Britain's spooks when he pressed ahead with appointing Lord Mandelson as his ambassador in Washington. Sky News reports two sources who insist that the security services did flag concerns about Lord Mandelson to No.