Does Olly Robbins' testimony signal the end for Starmer?

Westminster watchers have had their popcorn out over the past 24 hours.On Monday, Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer was grilled by MPs for two hours. A day later, Sir Olly Robbins, the sacked Permanent Under-Secretary at the Foreign Office, gave a meticulous account to the Foreign Affairs Select Committee. The result: fresh doubts over Starmer’s handling of Peter Mandelson’s appointment as US ambassador.This week on In The Room, former Deputy Cabinet Secretary Helen MacNamara and ex-No.10 special adviser Cleo Watson share their reaction. They discuss how Robbins landed a series of hammer blows on Starmer in his testimony - and why new questions over the appointment of Matthew Doyle could prove to be his undoing.Find the best clips from the podcast and more from Helen and Cleo on the show's Instagram page here.This podcast is part of The Independent Podcast Network and is produced in association with Next Chapter StudiosExecutive Producers: Olivia Foster and Carrie RoseProducer: Sam Durham Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Episode metadata supplied by the publisher feed · Published Apr 21, 2026

What this episode covers

Westminster watchers have had their popcorn out over the past 24 hours.On Monday, Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer was grilled by MPs for two hours. A day later, Sir Olly Robbins, the sacked Permanent Under-Secretary at the Foreign Office, gave a meticulous account to the Foreign Affairs Select Committee. The result: fresh doubts over Starmer’s handling of Peter Mandelson’s appointment as US ambassador.This week on In The Room, former Deputy Cabinet Secretary Helen MacNamara and ex-No.10 special adviser Cleo Watson share their reaction. They discuss how Robbins landed a series of hammer blows on Starmer in his testimony - and why new questions over the appointment of Matthew Doyle could prove to be his undoing.Find the best clips from the podcast and more from Helen and Cleo on the show's Instagram page here.This podcast is part of The Independent Podcast Network and is produced in association with Next Chapter StudiosExecutive Producers: Olivia Foster and Carrie RoseProducer: Sam Durham Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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