Downing Street pressed the Foreign Office to find a diplomatic role for Keir Starmer's former communications chief Matthew Doyle without informing then-foreign secretary David Lammy, the former head of the department has revealed.
Olly Robbins, the sacked permanent under-secretary, told MPs on Tuesday that he had several conversations with No 10 about finding a head of mission opportunity for Doyle, who was later suspended as a Labour peer over his involvement in a friend's election campaign. Robbins said he was under strict instruction not to discuss the matter with Lammy.
Testifying to the foreign affairs select committee, Robbins described the pressure as part of a broader trend of senior diplomatic posts going to non-career diplomats. He said he felt uncomfortable and advised that the appointment would be hard for the Foreign Office to defend. Doyle himself was involved in vetting Peter Mandelson for the Washington ambassador role, telling the prime minister he was satisfied with Mandelson's responses about his relationship with Jeffrey Epstein.
Robbins added that No 10 later asked Mandelson to find Doyle a role in the US network instead. Doyle denied any knowledge of the attempts, stating he never sought a diplomatic post and wanted to stay in UK politics.
Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper told MPs she was extremely concerned that Robbins was told not to inform Lammy, and confirmed that Doyle's appointment would not have been appropriate. Downing Street declined to comment on the accusations.
