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Cabinet minister Pat McFadden has repeatedly denied believing it was fair for Sir Keir Starmer to sack senior Foreign Office official Sir Olly Robbins.

Asked on Times Radio whether the dismissal was fair, Mr McFadden said he thought Sir Olly was “very favourable” but “if the Prime Minister has made a decision that he does not trust the head of the Foreign Office, the head of the foreign service, then it is difficult to move on”.

Asked again if it was fair, Mr McFadden said: “Look, it’s the Prime Minister’s decision.”

Asking the same question once again, McFadden said: “As a cabinet member, I support the Prime Minister’s decisions.

“He made the decision that he could not continue his employment with Olly Robbins because he felt that the information that was withheld from him, that was not shared with him, was really important in making that decision.”