Keir Starmer is facing renewed calls to sack his most senior adviser as Downing Street braces itself for another round of leadership speculation when the files relating to Peter Mandelson\u2019s appointment as US ambassador are published.<\/p>\n
The Labour MP for Stroud, Simon Opher, added his voice to those calling for the departure of Starmer\u2019s chief of staff, Morgan McSweeney<\/a>, who was instrumental in the decision to appoint Mandelson despite concerns about his relationship with Jeffrey Epstein.<\/p>\n The former Labour<\/a> deputy leader Harriet Harman said the prime minister had looked \u201cweak, naive and gullible\u201d after he apologised for having put Mandelson into such a high-profile and sensitive role.<\/p>\n With ministers being asked to hand over details of their communications with Mandelson, officials say they expect the files to be published within days, and Labour MPs say the release could renew pressure on the prime minister to resign.<\/p>\n Opher told BBC Radio 4\u2019s Today programme on Friday: \u201cKeir Starmer needs to change his advisers in No 10. I think he\u2019s been badly advised, and he\u2019s been really let down, particularly on this decision.<\/p>\n \u201cI know in politics we really rely on people to cover our backs, our advisers, and I think they patently haven\u2019t done this with Peter Mandelson. So we need a bit of a clearout at No 10.\u201d<\/p>\n Asked whether that meant sacking McSweeney, Opher replied: \u201cI think so, yes. If my chief of staff had done this I think he would be looking for another job to be honest.\u201d<\/p>\n Downing Street said on Thursday that McSweeney retained the prime minister\u2019s confidence<\/a>.<\/p>\n Harman told Sky\u2019s Electoral Dysfunction podcast Starmer \u201chas got to stop blaming Mandelson and saying \u2018he lied to me\u2019.<\/p>\n \u201cBecause actually he should never have been considering him in the first place. And to say \u2018he lied to me\u2019 makes it look weak and naive and gullible. So it\u2019s just completely the wrong thing.\u201d<\/p>\n Starmer has been under pressure for several days after new details emerged from the Epstein files in the US about the closeness between Mandelson and the late child sex offender.<\/p>\n The revelations include documents<\/a> suggesting Epstein gave Mandelson $75,000 (\u00a355,000) \u2013 which Mandelson has said he cannot remember \u2013 and that Mandelson shared sensitive inside information with Epstein when he was working at the heart of Gordon Brown\u2019s government.<\/p>\n