British Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s director of communications, Tim Allan, has resigned.
Allan resigned on Monday just a day after the departure of Starmer’s top aide, Morgan McSweeney, who quit over his role in backing Peter Mandelson despite the Labour veteran’s known links to the late disgraced sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
The twin resignations came as Starmer struggled to contain the political crisis triggered by his appointment of Mandelson as ambassador to the United States, a decision now under intense scrutiny.
“I have decided to stand down to allow a new No. 10 team to be built. I wish the PM and his team every success,” Allan said in a statement on Monday.
A former adviser to Tony Blair from 1992 to 1998, Allan later founded one of Britain’s leading public affairs consultancies and was appointed executive director of communications at Downing Street in September 2025.
His resignation follows that of McSweeney, 48, Starmer’s chief of staff, who stepped down on Sunday, accepting responsibility for advising the Prime Minister to appoint Mandelson.
“The decision to appoint Peter Mandelson was wrong. He has damaged our party, our country and trust in politics itself. When asked, I advised the Prime Minister to make that appointment, and I take full responsibility for that advice,” McSweeney said.
The controversy deepened after US files released on January 30 revealed the extent of Mandelson’s ties with Epstein, prompting a police investigation into allegations that he leaked market-sensitive information to Epstein while serving as a minister during the 2009–2010 global financial crisis.
Opposition leader Kemi Badenoch said McSweeney’s resignation was “overdue,” adding that “Keir Starmer has to take responsibility for his own terrible decisions.” Nigel Farage, leader of the surging Reform UK party, predicted that “Starmer’s time will soon be up.”
Starmer, who praised McSweeney as a valued ally, now faces mounting pressure from within his own party. Several Labour MPs blamed the fallout over Mandelson’s appointment for what they described as the most serious crisis of Starmer’s 18 months in office, with some even calling for his resignation.
