Coffee House Shots Will Mandelson bring down McSweeney?
Sep 12, 2025
Gabriel Pogrund, Whitehall editor at the Sunday Times, dives into the turmoil following Lord Mandelson's sacking and its potential ramifications for Keir Starmer's chief of staff, Morgan McSweeney. He discusses the historical ties between Mandelson and McSweeney, hinting that losing McSweeney could disrupt Labour's path to victory in 2024. The conversation takes a lighter turn as they celebrate a Labour win at the Westminster Dog Show, featuring amusing anecdotes about MPs and their dogs, blending humor with political insight.
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Longstanding Political Bond
- Peter Mandelson and Morgan McSweeney forged a long-standing political relationship dating back to New Labour and the anti-Corbyn years.
- That mentorship helped McSweeney rise and become a central architect of Keir Starmer's project.
Photocopying Assistant Origins
- McSweeney and Mandelson first encountered each other decades earlier when McSweeney worked as a photocopying assistant at Labour HQ.
- That early contact later evolved into a mentor–protégé relationship during the anti-Corbyn resistance.
McSweeney As Lightning Rod
- McSweeney is widely blamed inside and outside the party for a string of unpopular choices that have built up discontent since the election.
- That concentration of blame makes him politically toxic in the same way Dominic Cummings once was.
