Morgan McSweeney says he doesn't recognise claims about his behaviour

Morgan McSweeney has said he does not recognise descriptions in the media about his behaviour while serving as Sir Keir Starmer's chief of staff. Speaking at a conference in Ukraine, McSweeney said he found it "strange reading about a character with the same name as mine sometimes", as he spoke publicly for the first time about his departure from No 10 over Lord Mandelson's appointment as US ambassador. He expressed regret over his advice to the prime minister to appoint Lord Mandelson. However, he declined to discuss the issue in detail ahead of giving evidence to MPs on the Foreign Affairs Committee next week. McSweeney is likely to be asked by the committee about whether he put pressure on civil servants to speed up Lord Mandelson's vetting. In his resignation statement in February, McSweeney said he did not oversee the vetting but wanted to take "full responsibility" for advising the prime minister to appoint the peer. Lord Mandelson was given security clearance for the role despite concerns being raised by vetting officials. Former senior Foreign Office civil servant Sir Olly Robbins this week accused No 10 of a "dismissive" attitude towards the process, a claim Downing Street