I and the group of Conservative MPs who wanted a proper Brexit did not approve of Mrs May letting Sir Olly Robbins have so much influence over Brexit, negotiating a hopelessly one sided deal that suited the EU. We did not however personally attack this senior official or demand his sacking from the civil service. We argued strongly with the PM and then sought to remove her , holding the PM responsible for the feeble deal.
So I now find myself needing to make the case against Starmer sacking Robbins. Today the Committee needs to clarify whether he has been properly sacked. All we know is the PM says he sacked him but we have not seen the dismissal letter. The Committee needs to ask
1. Was he sacked in a short phone call?
2, What were the stated grounds of dismissal? Was it simply the PM had lost confidence in him, or was it an allegation of misconduct for failing to report details of the vetting of Mandelson?
3. Was Sir Olly given the chance to present his case against the sacking? Does he now have the option of an enquiry into conduct and the right to present his case? Misconduct is presumably the alleged grounds of dismissal as the post is not being discontinued to allow redundancy. The boss not liking you is not a legitimate ground for dismissal.
4. As the PM decided on a political appointment can we now see the letter or memo instructing the FCDO to change US Ambassadors and to announce the appointment of Mandelson? The PM has the power to make a political appointment but when he does so he needs to issue an instruction to pre empt the normal official process and competition.
5, As it was a political process with the successful candidate chosen by the PM he became responsible for satisfying himself that the candidate had the right skills and experience and would not damage national security or reputation. Why did the PM ‘s due diligence on Mandelson not uncover at least some of the worries the formal vetting process uncovered?
6. How could the PM ignore or not know the Epstein, China, Russia, business links of Mandelson and the risks they posed?
7. If he is properly sacked how much compensation will be paid to him?
April 21, 2026
Good Morning,
It has been reported that the PM didn’t have any great friendship, or even much liking, for Mandelson before making this appointment. So why? If, as reported, McSweeney was the main effort behind the throne to promote Mandelson, then why? (good time to find a stolen phone!)
The PM and his ‘team’ seem to be working to orders, from where and for what purpose? Starmer and Robbins appear to be on the same side, at least as far as the EU is concerned. The Fabian group, that counts Mandelson and Starmer and McSweeney as members might be worth looking into, as would be Wes Streetings interest in elevation, a reported acolyte of Mandelson’s.
Robbins testimony will hopefully reveal some hints where to look next.
A GE would be very welcome in September.
April 21, 2026
Another check that should be done. Starmer is adamant the correct process was followed for the Mandelson appointment & vetting (Civil service led – no ministerial influence). Did Starmer follow due process in sacking Robbins? If not, why not? and why should he remain PM if he can ignore processes when he says other must follow them?
April 21, 2026
No hope of a General Election Peter, this lot know where their pay cheque and gold plated Pension pension scheme comes from, which taxpayers fund completely.
Starmer as usual is hiding behind the detail and complex workings of Parliament, the Civil Service, Historical Law, Regulations, and Procedures.
This is a real problem the Country now has, on top of useless polices from clueless politicians, everything that governs our lives is, and has got more complex, expensive, confusing and time consuming.
April 21, 2026
Indeed far more time consuming and often forced to do things on line, divulge information you should not have to and enter a contract that is entirely one sided umpteen pages long and who has time to read it just to buy something for £10 or so?
Just heard some deluded presenter on the BBC radio 4 world at one:- “Now gas is much more expensive than electricity, even more so after war in Iran but even if a tiny bit of gas is used that sets the price for all electricity used to” actually electricity cost about 3-4 times as much as gas per unit of energy. Why would people use gas at all rather than just electric heaters if electricity were cheaper (and then get rid of the costs of gas boilers, water pumps and water radiators, gas standing charges… and use electric rads. We know the BBC are a propaganda organisation for so called renewables and climate alarmism and non have any grasp of science, engineering, logic, entropy or energy economics – but even I did not expect this moronic & blatant lie or total delusion from them!
More delusions followed on the energy pricing mechanisms. Do these BBC journalist types never actually try to thing for themselves? At least a little bit perhaps?
April 21, 2026
Rstarmer is definitely working from some outside agenda probably with many of the senior civil Serpents. I find it odd that anyone can be as stupid as Starmer given his background.
He is working to an agenda detrimental to the UK and I must say Anderson was 100% correct
I think Starmer is the most despised politician on the planet and it’s a pretty low bar
April 21, 2026
Book smart v smart
April 21, 2026
+ 1
April 21, 2026
Must be so unless he is just an enemy of the UK himself and is doing all he can to damage it of his own volition.
April 21, 2026
@Peter Wood – A General Election will be the only thing to clear the air. The much vaulted Local Elections are meaningless the result will be swept under the carpet the following day
April 21, 2026
Good morning.
Yesterday, Lee Anderson MP was dismissed from the house for calling the PM that which we all know he is. The reaction from the house, ie hardly no one objected to Lee Anderson’s statement, really says it all.
What Lee Anderson MP did was, and he knew what he was saying the consequences thereof, was in football parlance, ‘to take one for the team’. It cost him his seat and voice in the house, but someone had to do it and he thought it best him.
I am not for or against Lee Anderson MP, and I do not believe one should cast doubts on people needlessly, but I feel he was, and I believe he was, speaking for us all.
Thank you Mr. Anderson.
Reply. A Your party MP also said the same and was also thrown out.
April 21, 2026
When invited to withdraw his words the Honorable Lee Anderson was heard to remark. “That man couldn’t lie straight in bed”.
A quality double entendre.
April 21, 2026
I don’t think much of Starmer, and I’m ambivalent about Anderson, but the House of Commons should not descend into anarchy with members throwing insults around. The Speaker was absolutely right in ejecting Anderson from the House. I feel for him having to be unpleasant.
April 21, 2026
If what is said is true I fail to see how it is insulting.
April 21, 2026
@Mark B – then when it is asked about the actual Law & Chagos, Chagos electromagnetic spectrum. The Free Gifts, the loan of a flat seemingly for access, and a two tier answer is the response what sort of inexactitude is that?
It would be to be confirmed that should you get caught speeding and then apologise there is then no fault, no fowl, no fine. Or confirmation it is a TwoTier Country lead by a TwoTier Parliament.
The sooner we have a General Election the better for us all, this endless destruction can’t continue unabated
April 21, 2026
Bribery and corruption laws. You are not allowed to give gifts of any significant value to a “government official”. You are allowed biros, mugs and stress balls, and that is about it. The government official is similarly not allowed to accept anything more than that. This is a criminal offence.
April 21, 2026
+1
April 21, 2026
What people want to remember is that first and foremost is that Starmer is weasel leftist lawyer who doesn’t give a shit about the U.K. he is going to have to be removed from No10 kicking and screaming because the guy as no integrity a long with the rest of his rag tag party the sooner the liebour party are removed the better chance of this once great country recovering
April 21, 2026
I believe Two-Tier appointed Mandelson because he was told to do it. Several times, yesterday, he ignored/refused to answer the question “WHY did you appoint Mandelson?”
So there is another question which needs answering:
8. Which individual/s or which organisation told Two-Tier to appoint Mandelson?
Lee Anderson spoke for most of the country: the PM is a liar; he’s lying and he couldn’t lie straight in bed.
April 21, 2026
No one told Starmer to appoint Mandelson. This was a frolic of his own, entirely consistent with his general lack of judgement.
April 21, 2026
He is incapable of making a decision. In my opinion, he didn’t make this one …..
April 21, 2026
You got a “proper Brexit”. We left. The terms are rubbish but we told you they would be, the EU is much bigger than us. Will you Brexiters ever take responsibility for Brexit?
Reply Nonsense. We should have left without that Agreement, and traded on WTO most favoured nation terms as I proposed at the time. The Agreement was born of Remain thinking undermining what we voted for. It was still better than being in with all the extra costs and taxes.
April 21, 2026
Speaking as an Ulster Unionist, we were happy with Mrs May’s deal, because it meant no border between GB and NI. But you “and the group of Conservative MPs who wanted a proper Brexit” wrecked her deal, and replaced it with the Frost/ Boris deal that splits the UK in two. Call it a proper Brexit if you want but don’t you dare call yourself a Unionist, you and your freinds voted to divide our Union
Reply I disagreed with the Frost deal over NI and fish and made better proposals.
April 21, 2026
Don’t forget the “Benn” bill which tied the UK to get a deal, rather than just revert to WTO rules.
April 21, 2026
But with 80 majority Borus could have repealed it. Most tories were happy with it.
April 21, 2026
But the deal did mean a border between GB and NI. JR and others proposed a simple electronic customs solution with no hard border. The Ireland/NI border problem was contrived by Remainers looking for ways to frustrate the Leave vote.
April 21, 2026
“a simple electronic customs solution” which did not and does not exist anywhere in the world. We in Ulster are angry at our betrayal by the Conservative Party but even angrier that those who voted for Boris’s deal and a border between GB and NI continue to refuse to own up to what they did!
April 21, 2026
As the Irish Republican screams louder and louder for ‘Irexit’ the problem was always a temporary and contrived one.
The DUP ‘got it’ and saved the U.K.
April 21, 2026
There is no way that Starmer has followed the correct HR procedure in sacking Robbins, he has ignored the employment law that Labour not only support but have strengthened. The only reason you can fire someone on the spot is for gross misconduct which is plainly not applicable here. Indeed I wonder if Starmer even has the right to fire someone in the Civil Service ? For that reason it is certain that it will have been arranged that Robbins can “resign” or leave by mutual consent with a massive payoff, his pension intact, and probably a seat in the Lords. And an NDA signed.
April 21, 2026
Under Labour’s new employment laws NDAs are no longer binding.
Hoist.
April 21, 2026
I didn’t know that. Based on his appearance today when he refused to answer questions about his sacking it is clear he has instructed lawyers – let’s see how it plays out – no doubt with a big bill for the taxpayer.
April 21, 2026
Perhaps he hasn’t been sacked from the civil service, just removed from the position of Permanent Under Secretary of State.
April 21, 2026
Currently being measured for his Ermine before entering the Lords.
April 21, 2026
The crucial question from Kemi in yesterday’s debate was number two: “On Sept 11 last year, journalists asked [Sir Keir’s] director of communications if it was true that Mandelson had failed security vetting. These allegations were on the front page of a national newspaper and yet No 10 did not deny the story. Why?”
To be followed by Diane Abbott. She said: ‘It is one thing, as the Prime Minister insists on saying “nobody told me, nobody told me anything”, but what this house wants to know is: why did the Prime Minister not ask?’
Starmer has no spark of curiosity, a dead man walking.
April 21, 2026
@Michael Staples – that’s why the desperation to get back under the EU cloak – the PM, Government & Parliament get told, ordered what to do without the responsibility of thought
April 21, 2026
+1
“it was the EU that made me do it. It is what we signed up to” Was thee cry back then.
April 21, 2026
The hopelessly incompetent individual called the PM of the UK, hangs on by a thread. Those sitting behind him in Parliament have the power to remove him. Sadly they’re to cowardly to do so. More concerned about their own status, jobs and remuneration. Than the disaster zone the UK has become.
April 21, 2026
@Old Albion – those sitting behind him the greater majority, the free-loading majority, ‘own’ everything that passes for product from the Government that they each individual are paid and empowered to hold to account
April 21, 2026
The PLP does not have the equivalent of the PCP’s 1922 Committee’s letters of no confidence in the PM. A vote of no confidence would have to be called by the opposition parties.
Do you really think that in the present HoC there is any chance of creating a majority of MPs who would first support such vote and then actually for it?
April 21, 2026
No. But Johnson was brought down by a new tactic employed by his cabinet and the Labour cabinet could follow suit.
It is possible for them to make the PMs position untenable.
April 21, 2026
They are biding their time. As Ian said yesterday, they are waiting for the May Elections to be over. No one wants that mess on their CV. Let TTK own it. Then they can draw a line and say that the government is under new management .
April 21, 2026
The PM’s total disinterest on whether or not Mandelson passed the security vetting, even though his links to Russia and China were already well known, demonstrates that the PM was acting upon instructions himself.
April 21, 2026
If it is true that Olly Robbins did not inform the PM that Lord Mandelson had failed the security vetting for the role of US ambassador then surely whatever the reason, he has put the importance of the security of the country below that of this reason. Doesn’t this require there to be more severe punishment than simply a sacking? BTW, at the time of the Brexit negotiations, Olly Robbins asked the EU negotiator, Guy Everhofstadt, if he could become a Belgian national. Did this happen?
April 21, 2026
Guy Verhofstadt
April 21, 2026
How silly! Why would anybody wish to have anything to do with Belgium? There is no advantage whatsoever.
I know a number of British ex-MEPs who became nationals of Luxembourg, few qualify to pay tax so high is the threshold in Luxembourg.
I phone myself, naming the individuals and offering to accept Luxembourg citizenship myself, confessing that I had never visited and had no intention of ever visiting Luxembourg, like the ex-MEPs, but asserting that my money wished to reside in one of their vaults.
Funnily enough I was brushed off. No explanation given.
April 21, 2026
That was a joke reported in most of our ‘trustworthy’ press (Express, Mail, Sun, Times) without any journalist it seems having spent the energy to check with the EU Verhofstadt about when and how that wish had been produced.
April 21, 2026
Olly said today that for some departments the vetting completed by UKSV is only ….advisory
April 21, 2026
“negotiating a hopelessly one sided deal that suited the EU”
Exactly! You may be willing to lay this at the feet of Teresa May (and she would deserve it) but this man was also responsible for handing the EU so many negotiating advantages. It was either gross incompetance (which I doubt) or very deliberate (which I strongly suspect). Whether dismissed ‘by the book’ (or not) good riddance and I hope that this the last we will see of Sir Oilly, although I doubt that.
April 21, 2026
A Two Tier Country with the integrity and standing of the so-called Democratic Parliament shot to pieces, both at home and abroad.
Does Parliament hold the Excitative to account of not? Then what’s the Point of Parliament? Then what’s the point of a Government that is a Law under itself and just cant be bothered to manage the State or is Departments?
Does the Civil Service advise or cut Parliament out, again what is the point of Parliament?
The EU unelected unaccountable dictating, the UK Civil Service the unelected unaccountable dictating, the Quango’s unelected unaccountable dictating – the Parliament full of ‘Free-Loaders’ seemingly also unaccountable?
April 21, 2026
The electorate allowed this. It’s our fault! We allowed the party machines to pack Parliament with their selection of inadequate easy to control compromised candidates.
If the electorate doesn’t not assert itself, democracy dies. It’s not a seperately sustained entity. We breath life into it.
April 21, 2026
Here is a question for Sir Two Tier to answer.
Given the information that was in the public domain about Prince Andrew in December 2024 would Sir Two Tier have appointed him in any type of ambassadorial role for the UK?
If not then why appoint Peter Mandelson as His Majesty’s Ambassador to the United States of America as the information about him in the public domain was at least as damming and he has already resigned from government for misdemeanor several times.
April 21, 2026
Did Sir Ollie Trougher seek legal advice on hos view that the vetting outcome could not be shared?
Why did he not share it with the hiring manager who was the Foreign Secretary? (Whether the Foreign Secretary has the wherewithal to understand the implications is moot).
April 21, 2026
The appointing Minister was the PM. The details were shared with the PM – that statement was made to the Select Commitee some time ago.
April 21, 2026
Your first three points are generally overridden by the size of the taxpayer funded settlement with the individual unless discrimination is involved.
April 21, 2026
Seemingly Sir Olly Robbins and Sir Kier Starmer have much in common, they both peruse ideology as a political religious belief, that has them both believing that as rulers it is what the say that is the Law not what they do.
Approval, scrutiny and democracy has no part, they are above all that.
The rot and corrosion of Society, by those without a mandate just personal hate of a Nation and its People
April 21, 2026
Agree …..and include Miliband
April 21, 2026
After yesterdays fiasco and taken in the ’round’ the threat to the safety and security of the Country was and is not just from Mandelson, it has been shown to be Parliament, the Government, The Prime Minster and the Civil Service. They are all working to a different agenda to that of ensuring the safety security, resilience and self-reliance of the Nation and it People. They are demonstrating that their egos are above the purpose of their only jobs as such they demonstrate instead of ability, a hate of the County and its People
April 21, 2026
OK, Starmer is an arch-prevaricator, but let’s consider the even worse possibility that on this occasion he’s more or less telling the truth. Isn’t the real story then that the civil serpents treat politicians as an irrelevance, only telling them what’s going on when it’s unavoidable? If knowledge is power, it’s the permanent officials who keep the knowledge to themselves, and it’s they who wield the power.
April 21, 2026
But he isn’t.
April 21, 2026
It seems this sacking was knee jerk reaction to relieve pressure on the PM. It was not thought through very well as responsibility has not been completely identified.
Starmer’s marathon PMQ clarified little for me. But he will have seen the forces reigned against him were serious.
It would be nice to imagine we could put a few problems behind us if he would fall on his sword, but he is not that sort of PM.
I still predict that Starmer will hold onto his position, by hook or by crook.
Whatever happens all concerned must keep piling on the pressure. to put in some control on a wayward PM.
April 21, 2026
Why did no one ask Sir Keir, ” What made you think Peter Mandelson would be ideal for the role of UK Ambassador to the USA?”
April 21, 2026
Mandelson was part architect of New labour, so it looks to me that Starmer was intent on sending him to Washington, because of that friendship with Blair.
Starmer certainly was in Blair’s circle, mainly because he wanted to complete what Blair started.
April 21, 2026
Indeed we have not seen the dismissal letter. There may not be one, and Robbins may have been prevailed upon to resign, thereby notionally taking the blame.
Ordinarily, an employee whose employment is terminated in that manner will be bought off with a Settlement Agreement that will include confidentiality provisions. At this very moment, Robbins is speaking fully and frankly to the Select Committee. Accordingly, even if his potential legal claims are set to be bought off at taxpayers’ expense, his silence would appear not to have been bought off.
April 21, 2026
Nothing was revealed to the sentient majority yesterday but perhaps some on the Labour benches got the picture. Reeves looked as though she might cry again.
There is no point pushing Starmer to go because the Labour replacement would be worse, Miliband or Raynor, I have still not ascertained whether she actually passed an examination before she left school at 16.
There is little point in pressing for a GE because we have nobody to vote for and therefore risk the Green Party doing very will against our divided opinions. We need to work out which Party we will support and support it in droves, voting like a minority at the next election to have any chance of saving Britain through the ballot box.
As things stand if there were an election tomorrow I would vote Tory. I don’t believe that is the solution for the U.K. – but atm the best option. I want a MUCH better option.
April 21, 2026
Remember that Farage backed Mandelson’s appointment, called him a “very intelligent man” and an “enormously talented bloke,” and even offered to work with him on a Trump trade deal.
The moment it backfired, he changed his tune and said Starmer should resign.
Have you cottoned onto Farage yet?
April 22, 2026
My ideal leader around whom they should all coalesce is William Clouston, but they won’t, and no-one has heard of him because the Reform channel won’t have him on and nor will the other broadcasters.
April 21, 2026
The ‘truth will out’ as they say, but a lawyer running procedure gets to distort. It is protocol now longer allowed by our two tier justice elsewhere that when reviews are enacted that the facts have to remain hidden until after the event. We now have 2 on going reviews before anyone seemingly other then the PM can see for themselves what is going on.
Open and democratic Government is action. Or as it is sometimes said about thought police intrusion ‘if you have nothing to hide!’
Two Tier Standards, imposed by those whose egos tell them they are above the Law
April 21, 2026
Although I well remember (and hated) how Olly Robbins interfered with the Brexit negotiations, I am watching his grilling this morning with an increasing feeling of admiration and support for him.
He replies to highly intrusive (and occasionally hypothetical ‘Gotcha!’-type) questions almost completely without notes.
If there HAS to be a replacement PM (please let there be), let it be Sir Olly. He thinks and speaks clearly, has immense integrity and can indicate that he is on top of his brief – all attributes lacking in Stoma and the other members of the Front Bench.
April 21, 2026
Clearly when I proposed ‘Olly for PM’ that was flippant and totally unrealistic. But if we could only find somebody with his dedication, integrity, oratory and mastery of the job, it would be wonderful.
Such people do exist, but they do not apply, (or perhaps do not even get considered) for the highest offices of State.
The title PERMANENT Secretary now has a hollow ring if they can be sacked for doing their job precisely according to the rules.
April 21, 2026
“We argued strongly with the PM and then sought to remove her , holding the PM responsible for the feeble [Brexit] deal.”
It is clear that PM May tried to sabotage Brexit. She called a snap election in 2017 and ran a poor campaign because she wanted the Labour Party to win and cancel Brexit. Just as PM Sunak called an early election because he was afraid that the Rwanda plan might just work and he knew that Labour would win and cancel it. This is how the Uniparty works.
April 21, 2026
Those MPs and others who keep mentioning Epstein are misleading the public. The real reason for the security services concern over Mandelson was his links to Russia and particularly China, a state they describe as “hostile”. The appointment of Mandelson to the US Ambassador post, with its security clearance and information gathering ability, ties in with the UK National Security Adviser, taking multiple trips to Beijing, including reported “secret” visits in late 2025 and early 2026 to meet with Chinese Foreign Minister. Wang Yi. The SoS for DESNZ making a secret deal with China. The approval of a mega Chinese embassy close to our telecoms cabling….and then we have the Chagos give-away to China leaning Mauritius…
April 21, 2026
It would seem that the PM had no interest in knowing anything that would stop Mandelson’s appointment. But what nonsense to say that when he failed his security check, no one could tell the PM, or any other Minister.
Surely, in those circumstances, any Civil Servant has the responsibility to pass such information up the line.
Equally, would not the PM want to know that his appointment was squeaky clean?
It seems our PM is so laid back as to be asleep at the wheel. As Diane Abbot noted, you said you weren’t told. But could you explain why you didn’t ask?
The PM is a weak third-rate operator who, as Les Anderson said, could not lie straight in bed!
April 21, 2026
The pressure put upon the Foreign Office to hurry the appointment of Mandelson was obviously to ensure it was done and approved by the Biden administration before Trump started his second term and could/would reject Mandelson’s appointment.
April 22, 2026
Ayatollah BBC and the Reform Channel keep telling us Starmer is almost as bad as Boris.
One clear difference:
Boris chose Dame Karen Pierce – discreet, intelligent, capable, experienced, wise, and liked by Trump.
Starmer chose Mandelson.
By such choices do we know them.
April 22, 2026
Hi
I have never heard of people getting compensation for getting the sack
Should not doing their job properly
But you do if you are a civil servant
77 thousand pounds for the man who urinates in the street
mandelston only in the job a few weeks
Does he have to pay Tax on that?