On Sunday, Downing Street Chief of Staff Morgan McSweeney resigned from his position. In his resignation statement, he took full responsibility for advising the Prime Minister on the appointment of Peter Mandelson as Ambassador to the United States. Of course, there are essential questions that will be raised in the coming days and weeks. For instance, who will replace him? What does this mean for Starmer? Indeed, the list goes on. But, amidst such chaos, McSweeney’s involvement with the public affairs group APCO Worldwide has gone largely unnoticed - and the lack of attention paid to this story is of significant concern. McSweeney’s resignation is, of course, an important point of discussion. As the supposed architect of Starmer’s ascension to power, and Labour’s subsequent election victory in 2024, his departure will leave the PM in a rather precarious position. True, the concept of Starmerism had become enmeshed with McSweeney, who was often seen to be the true wielder of power in Number 10. Countless decisions were rumoured to have been made on his advice, and thus it leaves one to wonder how Starmer will hope to manage without his chief aide. Yet, this resignation story has engulfed something much wider. It has diverted attention away from McSweeney’s dealings before entering public office. Specifically, his time as head of the Labour-aligned think tank Labour Together. Supposedly the movement that ousted Corbyn and installed Starmer, the group is incredibly influential, and McSweeney headed up the outfit from June 2017 to January 2020, before joining Starmer’s inner circle.

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