London, United Kingdom. Former foreign ministry top official Olly Robbins said he faced “constant pressure” from Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s office to speed up the appointment of Peter Mandelson as Britain’s ambassador to the United States. His comments deepen a dispute over responsibility for the appointment.
Row over Mandelson appointment and vetting
The dispute centres on how Mandelson, a Labour veteran, was appointed to Britain’s highest diplomatic post despite his history and known ties to late U.S. sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. The controversy has increased pressure on Starmer and led to calls for his resignation.
Starmer has said he was “wrong” to appoint Mandelson and has expressed regret. On Monday, he said foreign ministry officials were at fault for not telling him that a security vetting body had advised against the appointment.
Robbins defends his handling of the process
Robbins, who was sacked late on Thursday after Starmer and foreign minister Yvette Cooper said they had lost confidence in him, gave evidence to a parliamentary committee on Tuesday.
While Robbins’ comments supported Starmer’s account that he had been told Mandelson was granted clearance for the role, Robbins said he had encountered strong expectations that Mandelson needed to take up the post quickly and that the appointment was treated as virtually a done deal.
“I walked into a situation in which there was already a very, very strong expectation … that he needed to be in post and in America as quickly as humanly possible,” Robbins told the committee, at times visibly upset.
He said that during January 2025, his office and the foreign secretary’s office were under “constant pressure,” and he described himself at one point as a “scapegoat.” Robbins also cited an “atmosphere of constant chasing” and “very frequent phone calls” from Starmer’s private office.
Political fallout for Starmer and Labour
Robbins’ account is expected to add to pressure on Starmer, who won what was described as the largest majority in modern history for Labour at the 2024 national election, but is facing renewed calls to step down over a scandal that has run for months.
Labour lawmakers said there would not be an immediate move to remove Starmer, particularly with the party expected to face significant losses in local elections in England and regional votes in Wales and Scotland on May 7.
What do you think should be clarified about who was responsible for the Mandelson appointment process?
