Did Starmer Mislead Parliament? Former Head of Foreign Office gives explosive evidence – and defends himself after Starmer threw him under the bus

About this episode

Julia Hartley-Brewer discusses the implications of Sir Olly Robbins's evidence regarding Keir Starmer and Peter Mandelson's appointment as US ambassador.

Keir Starmer is under huge pressure after Sir Olly Robbins gave explosive evidence on the Peter Mandelson appointment — as he describes an 'atmosphere of pressure' to approve Peter Mandelson as US ambassador. Julia reacts to the extraordinary claims that Mandelson’s appointment was effectively treated as a done deal before the vetting process had run its course, with senior figures allegedly pushing for approval and little appetite inside government to stop it. If warning signs were already there, why was the process handled in this way? And if Starmer knew more than he later admitted, did he mislead Parliament? Veteran journalist Adam Boulton joins Julia to give his verdict on Robbins’s defence, the sacking of officials, and whether the Prime Minister has made the crisis even worse by trying to pin blame on everyone around him. Was this simply a disastrous political judgement — or evidence of a deeper culture of arrogance at the heart of Labour? Also: Blue Labour founder Lord Maurice Glasman tears into the Labour establishment’s obsession with Peter Mandelson, explains why the party is losing working-class voters, and warns that Starmer now looks like a leader with no clear…

People in this episode

Host: Julia Hartley-Brewer

Guests: Adam Boulton, Lord Maurice Glasman

Topics covered

• Keir Starmer
• Sir Olly Robbins
• Peter Mandelson
• Labour Party
• political judgement
• working-class voters

Keywords

• misleading Parliament
• political crisis
• Labour establishment
• voting trends

Mentioned in this episode

Places: US

More episodes of The Julia Hartley-Brewer Show

• Keir Starmer's Defence Secretary resigns over paltry defence investment - after second night of Belfast disorder · June 11, 2026 · 56 min
• Belfast on the Brink — Knife Attack, Riots and Britain at the limit? · June 10, 2026 · 40 min
• Belfast ‘Beheading’, Billions of Foreign Aid to Terrorists — and how DEI is rotting Britain away · June 9, 2026 · 41 min
• David Lammy disagrees with JD Vance over the Henry Nowak Fallout, Israel strikes Iran, and Labour's leadership uncertainty as Makerfield by-election looms · June 8, 2026 · 51 min
• Bleksley Blasts Bobbies Over Nowak Tragedy · June 5, 2026 · 51 min
• Henry Nowak's family call for 'common sense' equality: Kemi Badenoch reacts to her meeting with the family · June 4, 2026 · 52 min