Morgan McSweeney: Starmer’s ‘human shield’ plays the Mandelson blame game

Morgan McSweeney: Starmer’s ‘human shield’ plays the Mandelson blame game

From The Daily T by The Telegraph

April 28, 2026 · 48 min

About this episode

Morgan McSweeney discusses his concerns over Peter Mandelson's appointment and its implications for Prime Minister Starmer.

Morgan McSweeney has admitted he was worried that Peter Mandelson’s appointment as ambassador to the US “would go wrong” and regretted recommending him – but said the final decision lay with the Prime Minister. Sir Keir Starmer’s former chief of staff, who was sacked over his handling of the saga, answered questions from the foreign affairs select committee, chaired by the gloriously theatrical Emily Thornberry. For the second stop on the Daily T roadshow, Camilla and Tim are joined by a live audience in a Cardiff pub as they dissect the questioning of Mr McSweeney – and what it means for the beleaguered PM. 🎟️ Tickets to our show in Worthing, the final stop of The Daily T roadshow, are limited – book yours now!: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/politics/0/live-event-the-daily-t-on-the-road/ We want to hear from you! Email us at thedailyt@telegraph.co.uk or find @dailytpodcast on TikTok, Instagram and X ► Sign up to our most popular newsletter, From the Editor. Look forward to receiving free-thinking comment and the day's biggest stories, every morning. telegraph.co.uk/fromtheeditor Producers: Georgia Coan and Lilian Fawcett Senior Producer: John Cadigan Executive Producer: Charlotte…

People in this episode

Hosts: Camilla Tominey, Tim Stanley

Guest: Morgan McSweeney

Topics covered

  • politics
  • UK government
  • foreign affairs
  • public opinion
  • media

Keywords

  • Morgan McSweeney
  • Peter Mandelson
  • Keir Starmer
  • foreign affairs
  • Cardiff pub

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: The Telegraph

More episodes of The Daily T

Explore listener stats, chart rankings, contacts and more on the The Daily T podcast page.