Fired United Kingdom Foreign Office chief Olly Robbins said he was pressured to confirm former ambassador to the United States Peter Mandelson quickly.

U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s government is under existential threat over Mandelson’s ties to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, which were known when he was appointed ambassador. Starmer has deflected blame to Robbins, claiming he refused to divulge the vetting team’s recommendation against Mandelson’s approval. Robbins defended himself in a testimony to the U.K. Parliament’s Foreign Affairs Committee on Tuesday, claiming Starmer’s office exerted heavy pressure on him to approve Mandelson’s appointment rapidly.

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