
How does Keir Starmer recover from the Olly Robbins bombshell?
From The News Agents by Global
April 21, 2026 · 44 min
About this episode
The episode discusses the fallout from Keir Starmer's firing of Olly Robbins and the implications of the appointment of Peter Mandelson.
Olly Robbins - the foreign office top civil servant fired by Keir Starmer on Thursday - gave his version of events today. He described an atmosphere of immense pressure over the Peter Mandelson appointment and suggested Downing Street weren’t that interested in the vetting process at all. Was he bullied into giving Mandelson the job? Was Starmer right to sack Robbins? And why was he hunting for another ambassadorial role for another friend of another paedophile? It’s all getting silly. We talk to the chair of the committee Emily Thornberry about what she just heard. The News Agents is brought to you by HSBC UK - https://www.hsbc.co.uk/
People in this episode
Guest: Emily Thornberry
Topics covered
- politics
- government
- civil service
- appointments
- controversy
Keywords
- Keir Starmer
- Olly Robbins
- Peter Mandelson
- Emily Thornberry
- government
- civil service
- controversy
Sponsors
HSBC UK
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