The Olly Robbins Mandelson pressure row deepened on Tuesday after the former top foreign ministry official said Keir Starmer’s office applied “constant pressure” to speed up Peter Mandelson’s appointment as the UK ambassador to the United States.
Robbins told a parliamentary committee that he walked into a situation where Mandelson’s appointment was already being treated as virtually settled. He said there was a strong expectation that Mandelson needed to be in post in Washington as quickly as possible.
Robbins described an atmosphere of “constant chasing” throughout January 2025, with frequent phone calls from Starmer’s private office. Sky News and The Guardian also reported that Robbins told MPs he faced intense pressure from No. 10 to get Mandelson into the post quickly.
Robbins said he felt like a “scapegoat” as the blame battle widened over who was responsible for Mandelson’s appointment, despite concerns about his background and links to Jeffrey Epstein.
Downing Street Rejects Robbins’ Account
Starmer has already said it was wrong to appoint Mandelson and expressed regret, but he blamed foreign ministry officials for failing to tell him that a security vetting body had advised against the appointment.
Starmer’s spokesperson rejected Robbins’ allegations, drawing a distinction between “pressure” and simply being kept informed about the progress of the appointment.
Robbins told MPs that by the time he took office on January 20, 2025, Mandelson’s appointment had already been announced, approved by King Charles and accepted by the US government. He also said Mandelson was already receiving access to highly classified briefings on a case-by-case basis.
Robbins argued that blocking the appointment at that stage would have damaged relations with Washington. He also questioned whether Downing Street even wanted the foreign ministry to complete full developed vetting clearance.
I walked into a situation where there was a "very, very strong expectation" that Peter Mandelson "needed to be in post and in America as quickly as humanely possible," Sir Olly Robbins tells MPs pic.twitter.com/WsRBavxcqx
— The Daily Britain (@dailybritainonx) April 21, 2026Robbins’ evidence is likely to increase pressure on Starmer, who is already facing criticism from opponents and discomfort within Labour over the handling of the Mandelson decision. It also notes that Labour lawmakers do not expect an immediate move against him before elections in England, Wales and Scotland on May 7.
The Guardian reported that Robbins’ testimony has fueled wider questions about transparency, accountability and political judgment inside Downing Street.
Robbins revealed pressure over a possible ambassadorial post for Matthew Doyle, Starmer’s former communications director, adding another layer to concerns about appointments and judgment within government.
Robbins said the security vetting unit viewed Mandelson’s case as borderline and was leaning against granting clearance, though ministers were not shown the reports directly under the established process. That message, he said, was not passed to Starmer in the way the prime minister now says was necessary.
