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A Cabinet ally of Keir Starmer was asked seven times whether he had asked No10 if it was true that they had considered Lord Matthew Doyle for a diplomatic job.

Pat McFadden clashed with Sky News' Sophy Ridge on Wednesday morning after being sacked. Foreign Office chief Sir Olly Robbins had alleged that No 10 asked him to find a job for Sir Keir's outgoing director of communication.

Mr McFadden was asked a whopping seven times if he had even asked No 10 if that was true before Wednesday's interview.

He eventually replied that he has "not asked if Keir Starmer asked this" because he doesn't think the Prime Minister would do such a thing - and not because he wanted to be able to say he didn't know when asked.

Lord Doyle said he "never sought" a role as a UK ambassador.

He said he was unaware of any lobbying on his behalf for a position as head of mission or "any equivalent leadership-type posting".

Sir Olly, a former permanent secretary at the Foreign Office, told MPs on Tuesday that No 10 had initiated "several discussions" with him about the prospect of making Lord Doyle an ambassador.

He said he "felt quite uncomfortable" about the suggestion, and added that he was asked to keep it from then-foreign secretary David Lammy, and had warned it would be "hard for me personally to defend".

The Whitehall veteran said he was unsure "who exactly was behind" the idea or "how serious it was", but that it was "serious enough for No 10 private office to call the head of the diplomatic service and ask for a forward look at available head of mission jobs".

Former ambassador to the US Lord Mandelson was also asked about the prospect of a diplomatic role in Washington for Lord Doyle, Sir Olly suggested.

In a statement on Tuesday, Lord Doyle said: "I have never sought any head of mission, ambassador or any equivalent leadership-type posting.

"I was never aware of anyone speaking to the FCDO (Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office) about such a role for me.

"My desire after leaving No 10 was to stay in UK politics."

Sir Olly said the suggestion from No 10 came shortly after he took over leading the Foreign Office in January last year, at a time when senior diplomats were at risk of losing their jobs as part of departmental restructuring discussions.

He told the Commons Foreign Affairs Committee: "I found it very hard to think how I would explain to the office what the credentials of Matthew were to be in an important head of mission role when I was in danger of making very senior, very experienced diplomats leave the office."

Addressing MPs after Sir Olly's evidence on Tuesday, Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper said Lord Doyle would not have been an "appropriate" choice, adding: "I am, of course, extremely concerned at any suggestion that the permanent secretary or permanent under-secretary of the Foreign Office would be told not to inform the Foreign Secretary."

Lord Doyle had the Labour whip withdrawn earlier this year after it emerged he had campaigned on behalf of a friend who had been charged with possessing indecent images of children.

The peer apologised for backing then councillor Sean Morton before the case against him had concluded, saying he believed the paedophile's assertions of innocence before Morton later admitted the offending.

He had stepped down as the Prime Minister's communications chief last March.