No 10 eyed Starmer aide for diplomat post, ex-official reveals

Downing Street discussed the possibility of appointing Lord Doyle, the prime minister’s former director of communications, to a diplomat post. Doyle, who was introduced to the House of Lords in January 2026, became the focus of questions after the claim by Sir Olly Robbins during evidence to the Commons Foreign Affairs Committee. Robbins said he felt 'quite uncomfortable' about the discussions and was told not to inform the foreign secretary about them.

Doyle has said he never sought such a role and was unaware of any outreach by the Foreign Office about a head of mission job. No 10 declined to provide details about 'personnel discussions' but noted that Doyle did not take up a Foreign Office role after leaving Downing Street in March 2025. The ex-communications chief later became a Labour peer but was suspended from the parliamentary party this February because of links to a convicted sex offender. Doyle has apologised for his past association with Sean Morton, who admitted indecent image offences in 2017, and for campaigning for Morton while insisting on his innocence.

The episode arrives amid broader scrutiny of vetting after Robbins was sacked last week over security clearance given to Lord Mandelson in the run-up to his appointment as US ambassador. During the committee hearing, questions centred on how the vetting process worked and whether political considerations influenced staffing decisions or approvals.

While much of the attention has focused on the conduct of senior officials, the discussions recounted by Robbins underscore ongoing concerns about the boundaries between political appointments and diplomatic posts. With Doyle's own public position evolving as a Labour peer, the episode leaves open whether similar talks have occurred with other aides and what safeguards exist to prevent potential conflicts of interest.

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