Morgan McSweeney denies bullying civil servants into appointing Peter Mandelson as US ambassador Morgan McSweeney has denied claims that he bullied civil servants into securing the US ambassador role for Lord Peter Mandelson. The former chief of staff to Sir Keir Starmer, who stepped down in February amid the controversy surrounding Lord Mandelson’s appointment, is widely considered a protégé of the Labour peer. Speaking at a security forum in Kyiv ahead of his scheduled appearance before the Foreign Affairs Committee on Tuesday, Mr McSweeney reportedly dismissed the claims. “I find it strange reading about a character with the same name as mine sometimes,” he was quoted as saying by The Times. “I don’t recognise that character.” It comes after former Foreign Office chief Sir Olly Robbins said there was an “atmosphere of pressure” and “constant chasing” from within the private office about Lord Mandelson’s vetting. Downing Street has already denied that civil servants were bullied or cajoled by Mr McSweeney. The Prime Minister’s official spokesman said earlier this week: “There is a distinction clearly between asking reasonably for updates on an appointment process … I would draw a distinction between the idea of pressure and, you grasp, being kept informed about the process and the progress of the appointment.” In his exit statement, Mr McSweeney took “full responsibility” for giving Sir Keir advice that resulted in the “wrong” appointment decision. He likewise called for an overhaul of the vetting procedures. The Prime Minister was asked whether he had considered resigning during a visit to Newcastle on Thursday. He said: “Last week, my political opponents were saying that there’s no way a civil servant wouldn’t have told me about the outcome of a developed vetting security exercise….”
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