Olly Robbins has just nuked the premiership of Sir Keir Starmer

[ProudAmberTurtle]

What are the implications of Olly Robbins’s testimony for Starmer?

There was so much in his testimony that was damaging but surely the worst was that:

• He was instructed by No. 10 to find an ambassador's job for Starmer's then director of communications, Matthew Doyle
• He was told not to tell the foreign secretary about this
• Robbins considered leaving his role because this request was so unusual and inappropriate
• Doyle was then suspended from the Labour Party due to his links with a convicted paedophile (not Epstein).

And on Mandelson, he said there was "constant pressure" for him to fast-track the appointment, there was no interest in the vetting from the PM, concerns about the vetting were dismissed by No. 10 and Mandelson had already been given IT access that should only have been granted after the vetting process.

What can Starmer do now? Say Robbins was lying?

Oh, I’m sure he’ll find a way to weasel out of it. Probably looking for somebody to sack at this moment, unless he’s used them all up.

I think it encapsulates the saying about choosing your enemies wisely. KS didn't. OR was very impressive and convincing. Unlike KS.

Bad move for KS to sell his integrity to the electorate in the general election, and then constantly undermine it through cynical moves like this.

So who or which roles in number 10 applied such pressure to appoint M in the first place, and then to get it effing done? Has that been revealed? Full disclosure I haven’t listened to the full session today, but I watched yesterday’s.

I saw all of the testimony this morning . It’s clear he is a man of integrity but found some aspects frustrating. He clearly was not going to name names and drop people in it but it’s clear he wasn’t impressed with the cabinet / KS . The key takeaways from me were the amount of pressure his office were under to ensure Mandelson was in post by the inauguration. The government were happy to appoint without due process followed. Clearly OR is taking his own legal advice about suing the government over his sacking so I think more will come out . KS is not out the woods by any stretch.

OR was decent, credible and right - all the things KS is not. The latter should step down and OR get his job back.

How on earth was Mandelson worth all this?

So irritation that due process had to be followed? I’ve worked for managers who ignore or want to ignore processes and procedures to get what they want quicker. They are usually arrogant and sometimes verge on bullying and it can be very hard to push back these “types” who show no respect to process that is there for good reason. Look forward to catching up this thread later and read other views.

KS will go after the local elections, although imo he should go now. It’s very clear from OR testimony that, as many suspected, KS wanted Mandelson at any cost. A man who had already shown everyone who is was more than once, a man with shady dealings and debious morals. Evidently there wasn’t anyone else who could do the job, or was a favour owed? Labour keep failing, god know who will get next!

I suspect plenty of people would have been aware there were risks in appointing mandleson and that vetting might be an issue but the pressure to appoint someone suitably experienced who Trump would find palatable was too great.

This isn’t even the case. Trump wasn’t even keen, Starmer and McSweeney were.

Who are they going to replace him with ?

Angela Rayner ?

Why do you even care if Starmer goes now or after the May elections? You realise it is end of April right now?!

He already stopped Andy Burnham

Whoever replaces Starmer needs to be more of a SNAKE not less to survive the current political system. I reckon Streeting and Milliband as chancellor. Lammy would last 2 seconds!

Quite - sacked or forced to resign from every government he’s been part of, yet he was seeming first choice for the American job…beggars belief really, were they that short of candidates?

Sacking someone very good and right to save your own skin is snake like, it might be his undoing though.

What do you mean?? Its not government elections in May!!?

I’m still mystified how Mandelson was even in the running for an ambassador’s role having been sacked from two previous roles. One for a dodgy mortgage application and one for passports for mates shenanigans.

We had a very experienced Ambassador in place who was doing a good job and who Trump was working well with. What stinks from the testimony of OR (who I thought sounded FAR more credible than KS) is that he was forced to sack experienced FO staff owing to pressure from the Cabinet Office and No 10 to make way for political appointees....it's "jobs for the boys". I don't think Starmer is anything more than a puppet TBH..McSweeney and others were/are pulling strings. Question is why were the puppet masters so ken for Mandelson to be there....what security/secrets have been compromised and who benefitted most?

The existing Ambassador apparently got on with Trump just fine. And didn't seem to be a threat to UK national security. So there wasn't that much pressure realistically.

Agreed. And the reason (which none of us are going to be told) is probably why Starmer didn't ask any questions at ALL about vetting - or about anything if you believe his statement from yesterday...!!

This keeps being stated but it's not true.

It's on the record that Trump did not want Mandelson - he requested Karen Pierce to be the US ambassador but Starmer rejected it.

His team even told Mandelson to "go home".

OR is seriously impressive, having watched him this morning. Starmer is no match for him. Once more, he has shown what a terrible judge of character he is by sacking him. He has also failed to prioritise national security. Now is a time when we need inspiring leadership in the FCDO.

Seem to remember Labour claiming during the various Tory meltdowns that when a leader's own issues had taken over all the news and focus, that it was time for them to step aside.