
No 10 considered giving Starmer aide diplomat job, sacked official says
Sir Olly Robbins, the sacked former top civil servant at the Foreign Office, has claimed No.10 discussed finding Lord Doyle, the Prime Minister's then-director of communications, a diplomatic head of mission role. During evidence to the Commons Foreign Affairs Committee, Sir Olly said he was under strict instruction not to discuss this with the then foreign secretary, which made him feel uncomfortable. Lord Doyle was made a peer after leaving No.10 in March 2025 but was suspended from the House of Lords this February over his links with convicted sex offender Sean Morton. The claims have sparked criticism from across the political spectrum, with Labour MPs and opposition parties questioning Sir Keir Starmer's judgement.
