UK politics: Matthew Doyle claims he never sought ambassador role – as it happened

Matthew Doyle has released a statement saying he never sought an ambassadorial role Photograph: Imageplotter/Alamy

5.50pm BST

Afternoon summary

• The sacked senior civil servant Oliver Robbins has said he was subject to “constant pressure” when he started working at the Foreign Office to get Peter Mandelson in post as soon as possible. Robbins was speaking to the Commons foreign affairs committee in a hearing which has revived claims that, despite Keir Starmer claiming that the Mandelson appointment was in part a vetting failure, in reality Starmer’s team were hell-bent on getting Mandelson to Washington despite the multiple concerns about the appointment. Robbins also revealed that at one point No 10 wanted him to find a diplomatic post for Matthew Doyle, who was Starmer’s communications director at the time. Privately, some Labour MPs have been expressing alarm about the latest revelations.

• The account of Mandelson’s vetting process given by Robbins has raised new questions about whether Robbins was misled about the findings of the agency responsible for vetting.

For a full list of all the stories covered on the blog today, do scroll through the list of key event headlines near the top of the blog.

Updated at 5.50pm BST

5.49pm BST

On Radio 4’s PM programme Evan Davis, the presenter, said producers could not find a Labour MP willing to come on the programme to discuss the Mandelson affair.