# Who is actually at fault in the Starmer-Mandelson scandal?

Page: https://stenobird.com/podcast/james-o-brien-daily-7140035/who-is-actually-at-fault-in-the-starmer-mandelson-scandal
Text version: https://stenobird.com/podcast/james-o-brien-daily-7140035/who-is-actually-at-fault-in-the-starmer-mandelson-scandal.md
Podcast: [James O'Brien Daily](https://stenobird.com/podcast/james-o-brien-daily-7140035)
Published: 2026-04-21T14:30:00+00:00
Episode link: https://james-obrien-daily.captivate.fm
Audio file: https://episodes.captivate.fm/episode/0414f6b0-8d19-4067-8cc4-80aac4984d48.mp3?aw_0_1st.showid=3dc25db1-030b-4bf2-a725-90d94e43aa2a&aw_0_1st.episodeid=0414f6b0-8d19-4067-8cc4-80aac4984d48
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Duration seconds: 3770

## Resource

Today, former Foreign Office official, Olly Robbins, sacked by Sir Keir Starmer for not disclosing Lord Mandelson’s vetting failure, told the Foreign Affairs Select Committee that No 10 had a "dismissive" approach to Mandelson's vetting - Downing Street denies this. James is joined by LBC’s Political Editor, Natasha Clark, to break down the 2.5 hours of evidence provided by Robbins, and asks the listeners whether this is as big a deal as it appears. This episode was recorded on the 21st of April. Catch James O'Brien weekdays from 10am on LBC.

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## Transcript

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