No 10 considered giving Doyle ambassador role, sacked official says

No 10 considered giving Doyle ambassador role, sacked official says19 minutes agoShareSaveAdd as preferred on GoogleBecky MortonPolitical reporterUK ParliamentLord Doyle was introduced to the House of Lords in January 2026Downing Street considered giving the prime minister's then-director of communications Lord Doyle an ambassador role, the former top civil servant at the Foreign Office has said.Sir Olly Robbins made the claim while giving evidence to the Commons Foreign Affairs Committee about the appointment of Lord Mandelson as US ambassador.Sir Olly said he felt "quite uncomfortable" after No 10 discussed potentially finding Lord Doyle a head of mission role with him and told him not to tell the foreign secretary about this.The ex-communications chief was made a peer after leaving No 10 in March 2025, but was suspended from the House of Lords this February over his links with a convicted sex offender.Lord Doyle has been approached for comment.He has apologised for his past association with Sean Morton, a former Labour councillor in Moray who admitted indecent child image offences in 2017.It came after the Sunday Times reported that Lord Doyle campaigned for Morton after he was charged with possessing and distributing indecent images of children in December 2016.Lord Doyle has said his support for Morton's election campaign came at a time when he was maintaining his innocence.Ex-Labour comms chief suspended over links to sex offenderPM says peer did not give 'full account' over links to sex offenderSir Olly was sacked last week after it emerged his department had given Lord Mandelson security clearance, despite concerns being raised during the vetting process.During his appearance in front of the Foreign Affairs Committee, he was asked if No 10 proposed any other political appointees for roles during his time leading the Foreign Office.In response, he told MPs No 10 was "interested in potential diplomatic options for Doyle"...