Pressure mounts on Starmer after Robbins testimony sparks Labour backlash over Mandelson appointment
Cabinet allies and Labour heavyweights are turning against Sir Keir Starmer following Sir Olly Robbins’s explosive testimony before the Foreign Affairs Committee on Tuesday.
The Prime Minister’s position is being questioned by many after Sir Olly blamed Downing Street for the debacle that led to Lord Mandelson being appointed as Ambassador to the United States despite warnings over his security vetting.
Sir Olly told the influential committee that Downing Street’s insistence on appointing Mandelson to the top diplomatic post was why the Foreign Office overruled the UK Security Vetting’s concerns to grant him clearance.
In doing so, the former head of the department placed the blame for the scandal squarely on Downing Street.
After the testimony, Labour MPs have criticized the Prime Minister’s operation and called his judgment into question.
Speaking to LBC’s Tonight with Andrew Marr, Dame Emily Thornberry hinted she might call the Prime Minister’s former Chief of Staff Morgan McSweeney to testify over the scandal.
McSweeney, who is a protégé of Mandelson, resigned his role earlier this year while taking responsibility for appointing the ambassador despite his well-known history with Jeffrey Epstein.
Dame Emily told Andrew: "Well, I think that in the end, the criticism of Keir is that he was hands-off and he let other people do this.
"And I think that there was an abuse of power from those who were given that power."
When asked by Andrew about the revelation that Sir Keir’s former Director of Communications Matthew Doyle was also being pushed for an ambassadorship by Morgan McSweeney, Dame Emily again suggested this amounted to an abuse of power.
Baron Doyle, who was made a peer by Starmer, was suspended by the Labour Party for campaigning for Sean Morton after he had been charged with possessing indecent images of children.
She told him: "According to [Sir] Olly Robbins, the private office from Number 10 calls up his private office and says, ‘Can you find an ambassador role for somebody else now?’
"You’ve got all these professional civil servants wondering about their next job, and they’re all pushed aside to make way for Matthew Doyle.
"That’s what I mean about people who’ve been given power and who are abusing it."
When asked who she believed was to blame, Dame Emily said she thinks it is "Morgan [McSweeney] getting above himself. You know, this is Morgan taking too much power for himself. And the criticism of Keir is that he let him."
The influential Labour figure was not the only person criticizing the Downing Street operation on Tuesday.
Cabinet allies Yvette Cooper and Ed Miliband noticeably distanced themselves from the Prime Minister in the wake of Olly Robbins’s appearance.
Ms. Cooper, the current Foreign Secretary, called the failure to inform her predecessor, David Lammy, of the intention to appoint Baron Doyle as an ambassador "extremely concerning".
Energy Secretary Ed Miliband told Sky News that he was worried about the appointment of Mandelson to Washington when it was announced.
The former Labour leader told the broadcaster: “I had a conversation with David Lammy about it before the appointment, and I said I was worried about it… I think he was worried about it too.”
Chancellor Rachel Reeves, however, supported Starmer and warned a leadership contest risked “instability and [a] lack of investment” in Britain.
Several backbenchers have also turned against Sir Keir.
Imran Hussain, the Labour MP for Bradford East, said the culture created by Starmer’s leadership was "toxic" in the Commons.
He told the House: "At the heart of this is a toxic and dismissive culture at No 10. At some point, we cannot get away from it.
“That divisiveness has led us to this place. This is not a small administration breach; it is a matter of national security.”
Ian Byrne, Labour MP for Liverpool West Derby, said Lord Mandelson’s appointment “reflects a wider direction under the Prime Minister” and also said a "toxic culture" has been allowed to "take hold of No 10 and the governing of our country".
An unnamed MP told The Telegraph that Sir Keir was a "dead man walking" and would soon be challenged for leadership of his party.
"How long can this zombie administration continue?" they said. "It’s over for him. He can’t come back from this. Someone needs to put an arm around him and say: it’s over."
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