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Irish Times
7 days ago
- Politics
- Irish Times
Irishman Morgan McSweeney: the softly-spoken chief of staff to Keir Starmer now facing questions
He was the political mastermind who oversaw Labour's landslide election victory nearly a year ago. Now Morgan McSweeney, from Codrum, just outside Macroom, Co Cork, has become a lightning rod for criticism as the UK government faces its biggest ever parliamentary rebellion. McSweeney, the softly-spoken chief of staff to UK prime minister Sir Keir Starmer , played a crucial role in purging leftwing Labour MPs, rebuilding the party as a centrist force and setting the government's agenda. Under the Irishman's encouragement, Starmer swapped his previously leftwing clothing for a more patriotic, fiscally responsible, immigration-sceptic stance that helped propel him into Number 10 Downing Street with a massive majority. READ MORE But with Labour behind in opinion polls, the prime minister's personal ratings slumping and angry backbenchers threatening to humiliate Starmer over his welfare cuts, MPs are starting to question whether McSweeney's Downing Street operation is firing on all cylinders. 'Everyone is selling shares in Morgan,' said one Labour veteran. 'People are starting to put their heads above the parapet and say maybe he's not the Messiah after all.' At the heart of the blame game is McSweeney's belief that the government needs to head off the threat of Nigel Farage's populist Reform UK party by leaning to the right on welfare, defence, aid and immigration. Labour's setback in the local elections in England in May – when it lost hundreds of seats to Reform – has emboldened McSweeney and other Starmer aides in their attempts to shore up the ruling party's right flank. They have survey data suggesting most of the public want stricter controls on welfare spending, and believe benefits reform is one way to claw back Labour's six-point poll deficit behind Reform. 'People need to grow up and get serious ... this is a problem with the country, not with Morgan McSweeney,' said one loyalist MP. 'You can brief against staffers, slag off politicians, but the cost of welfare will still be unsustainable.' This shift to a so-called blue Labour stance has the backing of MPs in seats that supported Brexit and moved to the Tories temporarily under Boris Johnson's leadership – and are now vulnerable to Reform. UK prime minister Keir Starmer: facing a backbench revolt over his welfare bill. Photograph:But many of the 100-plus Labour MPs set to rebel next week over Starmer's welfare bill are more worried about the voters that are haemorrhaging to leftwing parties such as the Greens, and deeply uncomfortable about taking money away from some of the most vulnerable people in society. Starmer's so-called loveless landslide – which saw him catapulted to power by a rejection of the Conservatives rather than an enthusiastic endorsement of his agenda – makes Labour's majority particularly vulnerable, some people fear. [ Who is Morgan McSweeney, the Irishman heading up Keir Starmer's Downing Street operation? Opens in new window ] The 'Marmite' view of McSweeney reflects a generational divide within the Parliamentary Labour party, which one person described as a 'two tribes' situation. They questioned why Number 10 was blindsided on Monday when it emerged more than 100 Labour MPs had signed an amendment aimed at blocking the passage of Starmer's welfare bill through parliament. 'Number 10 ... should have seen this rebellion coming from outer space,' said one senior Labour MP. Instead, 'they refused to listen, doubled down, refused to accept the criticism and just dug in. This is where we've ended up'. In the early months of Starmer's government, the prime minister's first chief of staff Sue Gray was blamed for many of Downing Street's problems. A former civil servant, she was in effect defenestrated by McSweeney in October. 'A lot of people drank the Kool-Aid that he was the fixer and Sue Gray was useless, but he can't blame Sue for this one,' said the Labour veteran. Another MP said McSweeney's role in the government seemed to be to 'shield' Starmer from uncomfortable truths, including on his welfare reforms. 'Other people in Number 10 were saying he didn't have the numbers for this and he wouldn't get it through parliament. The chief whip has been warning them about this for months. But they had their fingers in their ears,' they said. 'It's extraordinarily arrogant and complacent.' Others see in Number 10's determinedness to press ahead with next week's House of Commons vote on the welfare bill a sign of McSweeney's desire to still confront Labour's denuded leftwing. [ Analysis: When two becomes one: Starmer's first mistake was to allow competing power bases into Number 10 Opens in new window ] One MP from the 2024 election intake said it seemed as though McSweeney was 'spoiling for a fight' with the left of the party over the welfare reforms, which was a 'very stupid thing to do'. Allies of the chief of staff were involved in the selection process for candidates in last year's election, ruthlessly weeding out anyone seen as excessively leftwing. Yet the list of what is now 125 rebels is full of newcomers who made it through the net. McSweeney's supporters believe he will be able to shake off the growing animosity, insisting he has been a positive force within the government. They say that – since the departure of Gray – the Irishman has helped Starmer get a grip on the Whitehall operation and improve morale. 'They are much steadier, happier and more political than they were,' said one. 'He backs staff unwaveringly, is in the trenches with us, and enables us to be political and keeps us sharp,' said one colleague. 'Sue tried to knock the politics out of the operation, foolishly.' McSweeney played a crucial role in trade negotiations with the EU and the US, building relationships with advisers in Washington and Brussels. 'They like, respect and trust him,' said one colleague. He was also early to spot the risk of the winter fuel allowance cuts last summer which have since been largely reversed, according to allies. Reform UK leader Nigel Farage: his party is seen as a major threat to Labour in its heartlands. Photograph: Stefan Rousseau/PA Wire But Pat McFadden, Cabinet Office minister and an influential figure in the government, has warned Starmer of the danger of relentlessly targeting Reform-inclined voters, putting him at odds with McSweeney. One ally of McFadden, who is a former aide to Tony Blair , said: 'Pat believes we should have a big national message. It's never a good idea to choose between one group of voters and another. Blue Labour is not Pat's thing – it's more Morgan's thing.' Luke Akehurst, the loyalist MP for North Durham, pointed out in his constituency Labour plunged from 56 to four seats in the local elections – while Reform jumped from zero to 65. 'Labour is now clearly losing votes to Reform in its former heartlands and ... the votes lost to the Greens and Lib Dems are more likely to be in seats that are safe enough that we can afford some loss of votes,' he argued recently. But now a phalanx of Labour MPs representing diverse and urban seats fear this shift to the right will end up alienating many of the party's natural supporters. Polling from YouGov suggests far more voters who have deserted Labour since July have switched to the Liberal Democrats, Greens, Plaid Cymru or the Scottish National Party rather than Reform or the Conservatives. Some left-leaning MPs accept the need for tougher policies on for example immigration, noting net migration had been high in recent years. But still many inside Labour recoiled at Starmer's language about the dangers of Britain becoming an 'island of strangers' in a May speech. The divides within the party were on display during a gathering a few weeks ago of the Parliamentary Labour party. 'There were a slew of mostly London MPs with big majorities talking about progressive values and criticising the immigration policy,' said one pro-Starmer attendee. 'But there is also a caucus of younger MPs from the 'red wall' and the growth group, who agree with some of those policies. You could really see two tribes in the room, and how it's partly generational.' One Labour strategist said: 'Morgan is an easy lightning rod for people to blame for everything they don't like about this government, which is not how government works in reality.' A Number 10 aide said: 'This government was elected to deliver change and it was never going to be easy. Our wins and challenges are owned by all of us.' – – Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2025
Irish Times
25-06-2025
- Health
- Irish Times
Cork man died after he received five to six wasp stings, inquest hears
A man died at his Co Cork home after he received five or six wasp stings as he picked up hedge clippings to the rear of his property, an inquest has heard. Michael (Mick) Sheehan, originally from Ballinlough, Cork City, was pronounced dead at 2.16pm on November 5th last year at his home in Glen Tanar in Carriganine, Macroom. His wife Carmel Sheehan told the inquest on Wednesday how her 56-year-old husband had gone out to help two men who were cutting the hedge at his property some time after noon. After a short period, the retired tax consultant came into the house and told her he was 'after getting stung by a wasp'. READ MORE Mrs Sheehan said her husband, a father of three, was not showing any ill effects at this point. There was no obvious cause for concern. She realised there was not any over-the-counter allergy medication in the family medicine cabinet, so she made the short journey to the local chemist to get the allergy medication Zirtek. When Mrs Sheehan returned to the property she found her husband 'face down on the kitchen floor'. She ran out the back to the two men who were working in the garden. She said they all rushed in to the house. 'I [then] saw John [the gardener] trying to get Mick to respond. He was sitting Mick up and slapping his face.' Mrs Sheehan called an ambulance. The Irish Community Air Ambulance from Rathcoole landed in the nearby golf club. Mrs Sheehan said that when she knew the air ambulance was coming she rushed down to try to show the medics the shortcut to her house. When she arrived back to the house, a first responder told her that if she had prayers to say then it was probably the appropriate time to start them. Mrs Sheehan said that sometime after 2pm the emergency medicine consultant Dr Jason van der Velde told her that her husband had died. A priest was contacted and prayers were said in the kitchen before Mr Sheehan's body was taken to the morgue at Cork University Hospital for a postmortem. Garda Don Coomey gave evidence of going to the Sheehan home after he was told of the death. He said there was a small number of wasps in a nest at the back of the property. Assistant state pathologist Dr Margot Bolster said Mr Sheehan had suffered five or six wasp stings on his head, back and arms. She said very high levels of tryptase were recorded. Elevated levels of tryptase can be a marker for severe anaphylactic reactions, including those triggered by insect stings. Dr Bolster said Mr Sheehan suffered a swelling of the larynx which obstructed his breathing, causing him to 'collapse very suddenly.' She said he had suffered a massive allergic reaction. She told the family she did not think that 'anything could have been done' to change the outcome. Coroner Frank O'Connell recorded a verdict of accidental death. He said it was 'most unfortunate' that Mr Sheehan died when he was 'innocently picking up hedge clippings'. After the inquest at Macroom Court, members of the Sheehan family urged the public to be aware of possible side effects of insect stings. They said people who know they have an allergic reaction to wasp or bee stings should consider investing in EpiPens. These medical devices that are used in an emergency to inject life-saving adrenaline into people when they have severe allergic reactions.
BreakingNews.ie
25-06-2025
- Health
- BreakingNews.ie
Cork father of three (56) died after wasp stings, inquest hears
A 56-year-old father of three died at his home in Macroom, Co Cork, last year after he received five or six wasp stings as he picked up hedge clippings to the rear of his property, an inquest has heard. Michael (Mick) Sheehan, who was originally from Ballinlough in Cork city, was pronounced dead at 2:16pm on November 5th, 2024, at his home in Glen Tanar, Carriganine in Macroom. Advertisement His wife Carmel Sheehan told an inquest at Macroom Court on Wednesday that at around noon on that day her husband was on the phone in his study. Shortly afterwards he told her that he was going out to two help men who were cutting the hedge at his property. After a short period he came in to their home and stated that he was 'after getting stung by a wasp.' Mrs Sheehan said that her husband wasn't showing any ill effects at this point. There was no obvious cause for concern. Mrs Sheehan realised that there wasn't any over the counter allergy medication in the family medicine cabinet. Advertisement She then decided to make the short journey one mile down the road to the local chemist to pick up the allergy medication Zirtek. When Mrs Sheehan returned to the property she found her husband 'face down on the kitchen floor.' She ran out the back to the two men who were working in the garden. She said they all rushed in to the house. 'I (then) saw John (the gardener) trying to get Mick to respond. He was sitting Mick up and slapping his face.' Mrs Sheehan called an ambulance. The emergency services were alerted and the Irish Community Air Ambulance from Rathcoole landed in the nearby golf club. Advertisement Mrs Sheehan said that when she knew the air ambulance was coming she rushed down to try to show the medics the shortcut to her house. When she arrived back to the house first responder told her that if she had prayers to say it was probably the appropriate time to start them. Mrs Sheehan said that sometime after 2pm Consultant in Emergency Medicine, Dr Jason van der Velde informed her that her husband had passed away. A local priest was contacted and prayers were said in the kitchen before the deceased was brought to the morgue at Cork University Hospital for a postmortem examination. Advertisement Mrs Sheehan told Coroner Frank O'Connell that her husband was 'absolutely fine' when she left to the go to the chemist. She made it to and from the local pharmacy in a handful of minutes. She said that before she left her husband was understandably a little 'agitated.' However, there was nothing to suggest what would later occur. Mrs Sheehan said her husband had no history of allergies. A statement was read in to evidence from gardener John White. Mr White said that when he and the other gardener went in to the house they found Mick Sheehan lying on his side in the kitchen. They commenced CPR. Mr White stated that a female first responder took over CPR upon her arrival and a defibrillator was also used by medics at the scene. Advertisement Meanwhile, Garda Don Coomey gave evidence of going to the Sheehan home after he was informed of the death of the retired tax consultant. He noted that was a small number of wasps in a nest out the back of the property. Assistant State Pathologist, Dr Margaret Bolster, gave evidence on behalf of another pathologist who had carried out the postmortem on the deceased. She said that Mr Sheehan suffered around five to six wasp stings on his head, back and arms. She said that very high levels of tryptase were recorded. Elevated levels of tryptase can be a marker for severe anaphylactic reactions, including those triggered by insect stings. Dr Bolster told members of the family that Mr Sheehan suffered a swelling of the larynx which obstructed his breathing causing him to 'collapse very suddenly.' Dr Bolster stated that Mr Sheehan had suffered a massive allergic reaction. She told the family that she didn't think that 'anything could have been done' to change the outcome. Mr O'Connell recorded a verdict of accidental death. He said it was 'most unfortunate' that Mr Sheehan died when he was 'innocently picking up hedge clippings.' The Coroner said that he met the late Mr Sheehan about a decade ago in a work capacity and found him to be a 'pleasure to deal with.' He offered his condolences to the Sheehan family on the loss of a much loved father and husband. He described Mr Sheehan as a 'noted expert' in the tax field. Ireland HR firm Deel admits it instructed 'discreet' surve... Read More Inspector Mary Skehan also offered her heartfelt condolences to Carmel Sheehan, the couple's adult chidren Conor, Katie and Aine and the extended Sheehan family. Mr Sheehan retired a year prior to his death. He was remembered by colleagues as a 'thorough gentleman' with a 'quick wit.' He was also a devoted family man. Speaking after the inquest, members of the Sheehan family urged the public to be aware of possible side effects of insect stings. They said that people who know that they have an allergic reaction to wasp or bee stings should consider investing in EpiPens. Anaphylaxis UK says that for the majority of people an insect sting is uncomfortable but not dangerous. Tragically, for some, a bee or wasp sting can be serious and lead to potentially life-threatening anaphylaxis.
BreakingNews.ie
11-06-2025
- General
- BreakingNews.ie
Leaving Cert: French exam used 'challenging vocabulary', teacher says
A teacher has given her initial reaction to this year's Leaving Cert French exams, which students completed on Wednesday morning. Geraldine Dwyer from St Mary's Secondary School in Macroom, Co Cork, said the Higher Level paper included some predictable topics, such as the diary and some opinion questions. Advertisement "The diary was based on the cancellation of a party due to a red weather alert which would have been prepared due to recent weather events," she said. "In the opinion questions, the topic of addictions in the form of drugs appeared, which would be a manageable question. Similarly, gender equality would be a topic which candidates would have prepared, as it is a core topic. "The question on engagement in political life would be more challenging and would incorporate a range of issues. The message was a pleasant question as it was based on mobile phones and the questions would make it accessible to all candidates. The obligatory question 1 had good choices between the benefits of membership in club/ organisation and elderly people. "The reading comprehensions were based on scouts and an author looking for a character for a novel. The questions were manageable and the candidates could access the answers quite easily. The literary comprehension would require familiarity with challenging vocabulary, and it would be the most difficult question of the paper." Advertisement The Ordinary Level paper reflected the content of previous exam papers, Ms Dwyer said. "The comprehensions, which are to be answered through English, were based on Fashion and YouTube. The vocabulary would be mostly familiar and accessible. Q3 Comprehension was based on an actor and this theme has occurred regularly in past papers . Thus, the candidates would have sufficient practice. "The written section was predictable. The candidates would be satisfied with the postcard option, as it included the typical points. The message asked for use of Past and Future Tenses, the Diary was based on a concert in the past and the Formal letter asked for a reservation. "In all, the paper was manageable. Comprehension 4 was the most difficult."
