Sir Olly Robbins was “basically thrown under the bus” as a result of the “biggest diplomatic crisis” in over 40 years, according to Lord Simon McDonald.
Appearing on BBC Radio 4’s Today programme on Saturday, Lord McDonald, an ex-permanent secretary in the Foreign Office, described Robbins as a “scalp” that the government needed after the Guardian revealed that Peter Mandelson had been appointed as ambassador to the US despite failing his vetting process.