Morgan McSweeney falls on his sword in bid to save Starmer over Peter Mandelson

Keir Starmer's former chief aide mounted a desperate bid to save the PM today - taking full responsibility for appointing Peter Mandelson.Morgan McSweeney apologised for his role in the scandal, saying Sir Keir 'relied on my advice and I got it wrong'.But appearing before the foreign affairs committee he stressed he had not tried to sidestep the vetting process for the US ambassador job.The dramatic comments came hours before Sir Keir faces a make-or-break showdown in the Commons over whether he misled MPs.Mr McSweeney said he believed Mandelson was the best choice because Britain was 'exposed' on trade with Donald Trump in the White House .