Oh God, What Now? Morgan McSweeney: So gone, what now? – Emergencycast!
Feb 9, 2026
Rafael Behr, Guardian columnist and UK politics commentator, breaks down the fallout from Morgan McSweeney’s departure and what it means for Keir Starmer. Short takes on communication shakeups, loyalty and resentment within the parliamentary party. Quick sketches of possible timelines, replacement contenders and a caution about a chaotic future for Labour.
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McSweeney Was The Project
- Morgan McSweeney was central to the Starmer project and its electoral strategy.
- His departure leaves the Prime Minister exposed because 'Starmerism' lacked an independent project.
Contamination From Mandelson
- Tim Allan's resignation signals wider contamination from the Mandelson scandal inside Number 10.
- Officials linked to Mandelson chose to leave because association made them politically toxic.
Ambition Submerged Policy
- Starmer's personal instincts may be soft-left, but ambition submerged those into an electoral project.
- That tactical 'McSweeneyism' produced a hollow government lacking clear policy direction.