Starmer v Robbins: Why top official's evidence is 'devastating' for the PM

About this episode

The episode discusses the implications of Olly Robbins' testimony regarding Keir Starmer's appointment of Peter Mandelson as US Ambassador.

Keir Starmer is under fresh pressure over his controversial decision to appoint Peter Mandelson as US Ambassador. Explosive testimony from sacked top Foreign Office official Olly Robbins has revealed there was “constant pressure” from Number 10 to push the appointment through - raising serious questions about how the decision was made. On Talking Politics , Tom and Robert break down Robbins’ appearance at the Foreign Affairs Committee - and why the decision to sack him seems to have backfired on Starmer. Was Olly Robbins made a scapegoat? And could this scandal rival the scale of Partygate? Listen to this week’s episode to find out.

People in this episode

Hosts: Tom, Robert

Topics covered

• political pressure
• government appointments
• scandals
• Foreign Affairs Committee
• sacking controversy

Keywords

• Keir Starmer
• Peter Mandelson
• Olly Robbins
• Foreign Office
• scandal
• Number 10
• sacking

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Number 10, Foreign Office

More episodes of Talking Politics

• Why John Healey's resignation is 'devastating' for Keir Starmer · June 11, 2026 · 20 min
• Belfast riots: How our broken asylum system continues to fuel unrest · June 10, 2026 · 32 min
• Henry Nowak murder: 'Incompetence' or 'two-tier policing'? · June 3, 2026 · 35 min
• How embarrassing are new Mandelson files for Labour? · June 1, 2026 · 25 min
• Andy Burnham is in but can he win? · May 18, 2026 · 23 min
• Keir Starmer: Is the coup over? · May 12, 2026 · 19 min